Obligation
by LoveShinobi-Angelv
Summary: AU. Inheritance. Isn't it supposed to be reassuring? -Rated for Sexual Content-
1. Stranger

**LoveShinobi A/N****: Here's a new Gaara x Sakura story for all my loving and adoring fans. This idea was actually just a whim and then suddenly we were both loving it and had to write it. It's a bit different than any other story we've done, but I assure you all will love it.**

**It takes Gaara and Sakura to a whole new level of awesome!**

**Angelv A/N: ****So, LoveShinobi and I started to write a story with Natsumi and Akito in it, and then, at one point Natsumi was talking to Sakura about Akito. I made up the way that Sakura and Gaara had gotten together, and we thought it was such a creative idea, that we paused in writing the Akito/Natsumi story and started this one. I hope you like it, and don't forget to review! It makes us happy!**

**Now get to reading and enjoy!**

**REVIEW please!**

**Obligation**

_Chapter One_

-Stranger-

Sakura stood there in the rain, watching numbly as the casket holding her father was being covered with wet dirt in its spot in the ground next to where he mother was buried. She didn't know what she would do now that she was alone. Continuing on with her life would be the most practical option, as well as not dwelling on her sadness. What she needed right now was to curl up next to her fireplace with a pint of chocolate ice cream, go to town, and shed some tears. Then she would be perfectly fine to go to work in the morning, despite the fact that they had given her some time off in order to grieve.

It had been a beautiful funeral, and all of her and her father's friends had come. The priest had done a wonderful job on her father's eulogy, and when that was over she had gotten up to place a pink rose amongst all of the white ones on his casket. As it was being lowered, people had come up to her to give her their condolences, and then left, seeming to sense her want to be alone.

She didn't look up as a redheaded man approached her and stood next to her on the muddy ground. She didn't know who he was, but somehow he knew her father. Heck, she wasn't even sure what his name was.

Vaguely, she could recall seeing him one time before, about four years ago when she had just started medical school. But even then she hadn't paid the man much attention.

* * *

"Daddy!" Sakura called, walking through her childhood home in search of her father. She tried to come and visit him every week or so, just so that he wouldn't become too lonely. Ever since her mother had died of pancreatic cancer five months ago, Haruno Kazuko was a changed man. He was a lot quieter, and had taken up drinking and gambling in an attempt to fill the gap his wife's absence had left.

Sakura had just gotten into medical school a few weeks ago, and had been worried over how she was going to pay for it. She had a few scholarships that she'd won, but it wouldn't pay for everything. And she did have a job at a local clinic as their receptionist, but she had living expenses that she had to pay as well. When she had mentioned to her father about taking out a student loan to pay for everything, he had been adamant that she should try to find a better way. He'd told her that he didn't want her paying off college loans when she was older and trying to raise a family.

It was the voicemail he had left her yesterday that had caused her to come and see him today instead of later in the week. He had sounded extremely excited, and was spouting off something about her not needing to worry any more about college. That he would pay for everything. But she knew her father. He hadn't saved up much for his retirement, and what little money he did have he spent on his gambling. So where was he getting it all?

She walked into the kitchen, and saw her father sitting on the back patio talking to someone. Thinking it was one of his old buddies, she marched outside and stopped before the graying man.

"Daddy," she said, giving him a stern look. "What's this nonsense about you paying for my medical school? I told you that I would just get a loan and do it myself. I don't want you to have to worry about me."

Her father just gave her a kind look, but then glanced to his left. "Look, Sakura, can we talk about this later? I'm in the middle of something important…"

She followed his gaze to see a handsome redheaded man with pale jade eyes staring at her with what appeared to be vague amusement, as if he were laughing at her. She just glared at him. Not wanting to linger on him any longer, she looked back to her sire. "No, we will talk about it now. I'm your daughter, and therefore am more important." She crossed her arms, signaling that she wasn't going to budge.

"Honey," he sighed, rubbing his temple. "I came into some money recently. That is all you need to know. Everything is taken care of."

"Were you gambling again?" she asked harshly, raising a brow and tapping her foot. She hated it when he gambled, and told him so every time she found out that he had recently.

Tired emerald eyes looked back up at her. "Yes. Okay? Now save your lecture for some other time. Don't you have class?" he asked, raising a brow.

Her eyes widened in realization. "Oh my God!" she exclaimed. Her class was going to start in twenty minutes, and if she didn't hurry she would be late. She bent down and kissed his weathered cheek quickly before running back inside. "Love you Dad! And don't think this means you're getting off easy!" she warned as the back door shut behind her.

* * *

And that was all she could remember about him. She hadn't even stuck around to figure out how her father knew him, or how they had met. When she had asked, all he told her was that they had a business agreement, but that it was confidential. So she had shrugged it off and focused on her studies.

She didn't understand why he was here though. She knew for a fact that this young man and her father were not friends, by any means, because the elder man had never talked about him. And one thing she and her father had in common was that they liked to talk about their days and their friends, especially with each other. In fact, the few times after that incident when she had asked about him, her dad got all quiet and defensive, so she eventually stopped.

"Your father was an interesting man." He said finally, breaking the silence, but staring down at the now covered hole.

"Yes, he was." She said. She knelt and placed another pink rose on top of the upturned soil. Straightening, she tightened her jacket around herself to ward off the chill that came with the light rain. Then she looked at the man next to her, taking in his appearance. "Who are you?" she asked.

A slow smirk crept up his face as he stuck his hands in his pockets. He faced her then, staring down at her, since he was significantly taller than her. "My name is Gaara. And, unfortunately, I'm the person you are going to wish you never met."

She raised a brow at him. "And why is that? I doubt I'll ever see you again in my life."

"Actually," his smirk grew as he pulled out a card from his pocket and handed it to her. "You'll be seeing me tomorrow for dinner. The address and the time are on the card, and I suggest you wear something formal. This is a nice place."

She took the card from him and glanced at it before meeting his gaze. "And, why, exactly, am I supposed to meet you for dinner?" she looked at him skeptically. "Not only do I have no idea who you are, but I could have pertinent plans of which you know nothing about, and are more important than going to dinner with some strange man." She crossed her arms.

He sighed, returning his hands to his pockets, not caring that the rain was starting to drench them. "Well, I know for a fact that you have nothing to do tomorrow night. Since you have off, and you've told your friends that you want to be alone for the next couple of days." Her eyes widened slightly at this, but before she could get a word in he spoke up once more. "And I cannot stress how vital it is that you meet me. You might not like the consequences."

"Are you threatening me?" Sakura tensed, glaring up at the redhead.

"A little." He replied, looking very amused by her attempt at intimidation.

She huffed. "Fine. I will meet you for dinner. But next time you ask someone to meet you, you should be more polite about it. You might not have to threaten them that way." She smirked slightly.

He stepped closer to her, wiping the smirk right off her face. He leaned down, almost as if he were about to kiss her. "In my field of work, it's usually needed." He traced his finger along her jaw line and then slowly down her neck.

She grabbed his hand, stopping its movement. "Don't touch me." She ordered. He pulled his hand from her grip easily and moved back.

"Just don't be late. I hate to be kept waiting. And, just to make sure you don't stand me up." He reached into his jacket, pulling out a white envelope that had her name written on it in her father's handwriting. "Your father left this with me to give to you, so if you want it, you will be there." He said, replacing it back in the pocket of his jacket.

Sakura's mouth dropped open in shock, but she quickly closed it, narrowing her eyes at him. "Fine. I'll be there."

"Excellent. I look forward to it." He bowed graciously, but there was still something arrogant about it. He turned then, waving as he walked off. "See you tomorrow Sakura."

"Hmph." She said, turning on her heel and walking over to her car, an old, light blue sedan. Just who did he think he was anyways? First telling her she would regret meeting him, then making her come meet him for dinner by keeping something from her father from her. She would definitely be at that restaurant the next night. And once she got that letter from her father, she was going to leave. After all, he didn't say she had to stay for the whole meal, she thought with a smirk, getting in her car and driving away.


	2. Dinner

**Obligation**

_Chapter Two_

-Dinner-

Sakura walked into the formal restaurant and looked around before going up to the podium. She had decided to wear a small black dress, since it was really one of the only nice things she had. It came down to mid thigh, and cut straight across the top. The sleeves came across her arms, leaving her shoulders bare. The dress was tight the whole way down, showing off her developed figure. Her hair was curled in ringlets, and around her neck she wore a simple black choker made from a ribbon.

She stopped at the podium. "I'm here to meet someone. My name is Haruno Sakura." She said.

The man's eyes widened, and he walked around the podium hastily. "Right this way Miss." He said, leading her through the restaurant. They walked up to a private table in the back, where Gaara was already seated. "Miss Haruno, sir." The man said, and Sakura couldn't help but wonder who exactly Gaara was that they would treat him so respectfully. They usually only did that with their more prestigious clients.

Gaara stood and stepped around the table. He looked extremely sharp in his black tux and black tie. He offered his hand out to Sakura and pulled her chair out with his other. "Thank you Steven," he said before looking down at Sakura and giving her an appreciative once over.

"Thank you." She said, taking his hand and then her seat.

He moved back to his seat and sat down, not taking his eyes off of her. "You look stunning."

She looked up at him, slightly startled. "Oh, thanks." She said, blushing slightly. "You look nice too."

"I tried." He shrugged, seeming to just brush it off as no big deal. "I wanted to look nice tonight. After all, it's a very important night for the both of us."

"And why is that?" she asked him, placing her napkin in her lap.

He gave her a knowing look and opened his napkin, placing the silver wear in its proper place. "Why don't we save the business for after dinner?" he said, placing his napkin in his lap.

She sighed. "I suppose." That probably meant she wouldn't get her father's letter until then either, and by then there would be no point in leaving. She picked up her menu and read over it, trying to pick something out to eat. She had never been here before, since it was so expensive, and so didn't know what they served.

Gaara leaned forward, placing his elbows on the table and rested his chin on his folded hands. "I remember the first time I ever saw you."

"Really?" she asked with a raised brow, crossing her legs and placing her elbow on the table, leaning on it.

"Oh yes." He smirked. "I think it was about…four years ago. You came and interrupted my meeting with your father, demanding to know where he was getting the money to further you in your study of medicine. You looked amazing then too, so innocent in that white sundress with the pink ribbon tied around your waist."

Her eyes widened slightly, and her raised hand hit the table in shock. "You remember what I was wearing?"

He leaned back in his chair, enjoying her reaction. "Well…something like that." He said with a sigh. "You were very pretty. You know, I've actually been keeping tabs on you ever since. I like to make sure that my clientele are well aware of what I am capable and willing to do. Should things take a turn for the worse."

She sat back in her chair, unsure of whether or not to be flattered or extremely creeped out. "What do you mean by clientele? I have never spoken to you until the funeral. And why were you following me around? Are you some kind of sick, psycho stalker?" she asked.

"Please. Sakura, _I_ wasn't following you around. I had someone do it. And you were not in business with me. Your father was, I just wanted to make sure that he knew how far I was willing to go should he try and evade his…payments." Gaara said, casually glancing up as the waiter came with a bottle of wine.

"Are you and your lovely date ready to place your order Mr. Sabaku?" he asked, giving Sakura a small nod.

"Yes. We are. To start we'll have the Seafood Medley. And two Caesar Salads after that, and then for my entrée, I would like the twelve ounce Prime Filet Mignon, with a side of fresh asparagus." Gaara said clearly, gesturing for him to fill their glasses. He finished and popped open the bottle of red wine and poured them both a glass before placing it in the ice.

"And you ma'am?" the waiter asked, pulling out his notepad once more.

She snapped out of her slight trance and then looked at her menu. "Yes, um, I would like the Atlantic Salmon with a side of Sweet Potato Hash please." She said, handing him her menu.

"Very excellent choice." He nodded, taking both before leaving them to place their orders. Gaara reached forward, taking his glass and tasting the wine slowly.

"So, Mr. Sabaku," Sakura began, grabbing her glass and smelling the wine as she swirled it slightly. "What business did my father have with you that was so important you had to have me followed for four years?" she took a sip then.

He looked up at her before setting the glass down, that arrogant smirk once again on his face. "You."

"What do you mean, me?" she asked, looking confused.

He sighed, "You were the business."

She set down her glass and crossed her arms. "Are you going to elaborate, or am I just going to have to wait for that explanation too?"

"Well…" he looked off, actually avoiding her gaze. "I'd like to keep things pleasant until absolutely necessary."

"How exactly is this meal supposed to be pleasant, hm? My father's funeral was yesterday, and at said funeral I was told to come to dinner with some creepy stalker whom I've never met before in my entire life. And said stalker has a letter to me from my father, which I'm probably not going to get until the end of the meal, and that letter is the only reason I came. What about that sounds pleasant to you?" she glared at him lightly, beginning to swing her foot under the table in her agitation.

He just looked amused, simply watching her. But then let his light demeanor faded. "Do you really want it that badly?"

"Why wouldn't I want it? It's from my father." She said.

He sighed and sat up, unbuttoning his jacket and reaching inside the flap. He pulled out the letter and held it out to her. She took it from him, quickly ripping open the seal and pulling it out. She unfolded it, and felt her breath hitch as she began to read the letter.

_My Dearest Cherry Blossom,_

_I am so sorry. I know that usually, when someone knows the time they were about to die, they will everything they have to whom they love most, and tell them how much they love them. Know that I do love you, deeply, and that I am sincerely sorry for what I have to leave you. I got into some trouble with a casino, and I was going to have to pay with my life. Luckily, but not so luckily now, a man intervened. He paid off the men, and in return I had to do…things that I hope you will never learn of. Everything seemed to be going great after that, but then you wanted to go to medical school, and there was no way I could afford to pay for it on my own. And I didn't want you to be indebted to anyone once you were finished, and have to live a hard life the way I did. I knew you would have a wonderful life if you could become a doctor. So, I asked, no begged, for the money to send you to school. The day you came to me, you met the man I hoped you would never have to come into contact with. Unfortunately, he would not accept favors this time around, and I was forced to pay back my debt, which I could never complete. And now that I am dying, I've been informed that if I cannot find the rest, you will be responsible for completing it. Be careful, my beautiful daughter. And I am so sorry for involving you in this dark world. I hope you can forgive me, and I love you very much._

_Love your father,_

_Kazuko_

Sakura sniffed and hastily wiped at her eyes, keeping her tears from falling. Her father had gotten involved with some type of gang? He wasn't perfect, she knew that for a fact, but how could he be so stupid? And now she was left with his debt?

A wave of guilt washed over her when she realized it was her fault. He had done it for her, so that she could go to medical school and become a doctor. She'd initially wanted to go in order to find a cure for her mother's cancer. But when she died, her reason changed so that she could help people, and keep them from losing their relatives.

She sat the letter down on the table and looked back up at Gaara. She took a steadying breath. "How much do I owe you?" she asked, her voice shaky from her effort not to get upset.

"More than you can afford I assure you," he smirked, enjoying the small turmoil within her. He could tell she was finally realizing just who he was.

"Then how am I supposed to pay you back? I'm just now starting my residency at the hospital, and it will be a while before I have any kind of extra money." She said.

"I know." He said simply, looking up when the waiter came back with their appetizer and salads. He left quickly since he assumed, by the look on Sakura's face, the matter was very serious. "Which is why, I've thought of a way to where you can pay off your father's debt and not have to spend a single penny. That way you can continue with your life career and I get what I want."

"And what is it that you want, exactly?"

He couldn't help but smile as he picked up one of the shrimps and dipped it in the cocktail sauce. "See Sakura, I am the head of the mob. And as you might suspect, it's very hard for me to choose a woman I actually like who I don't want to kill. They're all so needy and annoying and gold diggers, and I don't enjoy people who want money." He explained, eating the shrimp and swallowing before he continued. "But I…I like you, you intrigue me to no end. So to pay off your father's debt…I want you to date me."

She just stared at him. "You…want me to date you." She stated in disbelief.

"Um, well…yes." He said, taking anther shrimp.

"For how long?"

He thought for a moment, "Well…the original debt was two hundred and eighty thousand dollars."

Sakura paled visibly. "And how much did he pay off?"

"About ten thousand. So that leaves two hundred and seventy thousand left."

"So how many dates is that?" she asked. If she knew that, then she would be able to count them down and have something to look forward to. Because she could already tell she wasn't going to enjoy dating this arrogant man before her.

He shrugged. "I'm not sure. I'm willing to compromise…a little…maybe." He smirked. "Just tell me what you think would be fair."

She smirked and crossed her arms. "Twenty."

Gaara actually laughed, shaking his head. "Either you are insulting me or you really think that twenty dates with me is worth two hundred and seventy thousand dollars."

"Twenty-five then." She said. "I'm a very busy woman Mr. Sabaku, and my time is valuable."

"And you think my time isn't?" he arched what could be a brow.

"Oh I'm sure in some circles it is, but I actually help people and save their lives, whereas you don't." she told him. "What about thirty-five?"

"Fifty."

"What?" she asked. "Forty."

"Sixty." He sighed.

She sighed. "Fine. Fifty."

"Fifty-five."

Her eyes narrowed at him. "Very well, fifty-five it is."

He just smirked. "Perfect. Fifty five dates. I look forward to them. Oh," he paused, picking up his fork and began eating his salad. "And this doesn't count as one."

"Why not?" she asked, finally starting to eat, since she was hungry. "I dressed up and everything."

"Darling," he teased, looking up at her. "This is our introduction. To break the ice, and this was all business. The rest is all romance and nothing more."

"Romance." She said, giving a skeptical look as she took a bite. "And what makes you think that I won't view these dates as anything but platonic?"

"Hope?" he shrugged, "So how do you like your salad?"

"It's alright, though I really think you paid too much for something I could make at home." She smirked slightly and took another bite. "It's a nice restaurant though, I've never been here before." She said after swallowing.

They continued to eat, since Gaara was a man of few words and Sakura, well, she just didn't really know what to say, nor did she want to speak to him. Finally, their main course arrived and it looked absolutely mouth watering. Sakura began to eat her salmon, making an appreciative sound at how good it tasted. She still thought the place was really pricey, but she'd admit that they knew how to cook.

"So Sakura, what would you like to do for our first date?" he asked, eating his steak. Despite her original thoughts of gangsters, he actually seemed very well mannered.

"I'm not sure." She said, taking a sip of her wine. "Why don't you surprise me?"

He snickered, locking gazes with her. "If you say so."

She rolled her eyes at him. "So, when is this alleged first date? I need to make sure I'm free."

"Why don't you just tell me when you are free, and I will work around your schedule. Unlike you, I control the world I live in."

"Fine. Then give me a way in which I can reach you, and I'll send you a copy of my schedule." she said, taking another bite of her dinner.

He set his fork down and pulled out a card from his jacket pocket, handing it to her. "That is my cell phone number. Don't give it to anyone either. I hate being annoyed."

"Don't we all." She said, taking it from him. She looked around, and, not really having anywhere to put it, since she had left her phone in the car and didn't bring a purse, she slid it into her bra. "I'll contact you tomorrow around six when my shift ends."

He glanced up from her chest, a small smirk on his features. "Sounds perfect." They finished their meal and once Gaara had paid the check he got up and walked over to her seat, offering his hand down to her. She took it and he helped up from her seat. They left the restaurant and stopped at the valet, waiting for them to get both of the cars. Sakura's blue sedan arrived first, and she turned to him.

"I'd say it was a lovely evening, but I don't like lying, so…I'll go with interesting." She said, looking up at him.

He laughed, sticking one of his hands in his pocket. "Well you did almost cry. So I'd have to agree. I assure you though, before this is over you will enjoy yourself. And who knows, you might even want to go past fifty five." He smirked, as a black Lamborghini Reventon pulled up behind her piece of crap. "See ya later." He said, taking her hand and kissing it.

He held up his hands and caught the keys as the valet threw them to him. "I had a wonderful night Sakura. I can't wait to see you again." He waved, walking over towards his car and getting in. The engine started, making all the heads turn and get a look at the scene. The car took off then, a small gust of wind blowing past as he drove away, not caring about the speed limit.

Sakura rolled her eyes and got in her own car. "Can't say the feeling is mutual." She muttered, driving away towards her small apartment. Tomorrow she would send Gaara her schedule, and then, her hell would begin.


	3. One Down FiftyFour To Go

**Obligation**

_Chapter Three_

-One Down, Fifty-Four to Go-

Sakura stood on the pier at the beach, looking out over the ocean. She had sent Gaara her schedule a few days ago, and, since today was the first day she had free, he had decided that it would be the day of their first date. She was wearing an Ombre sequined triangle top bikini, with white bottoms that tied in bows at her hips. The sequins on the top started in navy blue, then changed to purple, then lime green, and the bottom two rows were white. The straps to the swim suit were made of a singular string, and so her breasts were just barely covered, leaving only a tantalizing view of her cleavage for the eye to see. Over the swim suit she had on a print cotton caftan cover up, that tied a bit under her breasts, and was nearly see through, and it had light blue flowers sewn into it. Her hair was left down, blowing messily in the wind, and she wore a plain pair of white flip flops on her feet.

When Gaara had scheduled the date, he had told her to meet him here, and to wear her swimsuit. She didn't know what they were doing, but it had been so long since she'd come to the beach, anything would be nice. "Well hello, hello." She heard from behind her. She turned around and saw Gaara standing with his hands on his hips. He had on black swim shorts that stopped just below his knees and a loose black t-shirt with a red kanji on the front. He walked forward, his black flip flops smacking his heels. He pushed up his sunglasses, letting them rest in his tousled red hair. "You ready to go?" he smiled, actually looking just like any other guy.

She pulled down her white rimmed sunglasses to the edge of her nose and raised a brow at him over the top. "Yes. Where are we going?" she asked.

"You'll see." He offered his hand out to her. "I promise, you'll love it."

She pushed her sunglasses up onto her head, holding back some of her pink tresses, and took his hand. "Alright."

He pulled her with him then and headed towards the boardwalk along the edge of the beach. They headed along the walkway towards the docks. "It's just up here." He pointed, leading her towards some of the more expensive looking ones. Finally, they came up to a nice sized yacht, a 44' Cruisers Yachts 447 Sport Sedan. It had an open balcony where the wheel was and looked very Cadillac. "Have you ever been scuba diving before?"

"No, but I always wanted to go." She looked at him. "Is that what we're doing?" she asked excitedly.

"Yup," he nodded, helping her up onto the boat and then following after her. "I know the perfect spot for it, and it will absolutely blow your mind." He said, untying the anchors and pulling the ropes back. Once that was finished he showed her around the boat, the areas where she could relax and then the kitchen and the rooms it had. Finally, he pulled her with him up towards the wheel and stuck the key in the ignition. "You ready?"

"More than ready." She said, looking around at the beautiful view offered her from her vantage point.

He started up the engine and after placing in a few coordinates he took the wheel and pushed the boat forward, slowly moving out of the docks. He flipped his sunglasses back down to shield his eyes from the sun and the water that might splash up once they picked up speed. "You're not afraid of sharks are you?"

She looked at him. "Why? Are there going to be some where we're diving?"

"Well there's always that possibility that we might cross them, but they don't come after you…most of the time." He laughed, and once they were out of the main harbor, he pushed forward more and their speed picked up.

She shrugged. "Well, all you gotta do really is hit them in the snout, right? Doesn't seem too bad."

"Yes, but panic tends to make the task a bit more difficult. I promise there won't be any problems though. Usually there aren't any, and we'll be close to a reef, they don't really like it too much around there…well at least the big ones don't." he shrugged. It took a while to get out on the ocean, but it was nice and fresh, the smell of the salty water and everything about the beautiful cloudy day.

Finally, he started to slow their speed and came to somewhat a stop. He hit a button that lowered the anchor, so the ship wouldn't float off while they were down in the water. "You ready to get suited up?"

"Mhm." She nodded, turning towards him.

They headed down towards the next level. Gaara took off his sunglasses and tossed them inside onto a couch. "Alright." He stretched, grabbing onto his shirt and pulling it off. Sakura took off her sunglasses, squinting at the bright light of the sun before pulling off her cover up and folding it, setting it beside her sunglasses. She looked over at Gaara and had to hide her reaction to his body. He had the most beautifully sculpted chest she had ever seen, right down to the perfect V leading to his pelvis. She glanced away, blushing slightly. Man, she was a sucker for V's.

He walked over and picked up the scuba equipment, seeming to handle it with ease. He handed her one of the tanks and once it was in her grip he let go. She yelped, falling forward a bit as it fell. It didn't look that heavy when he was carrying it. "Agh!"

He turned back around quickly, helping her with it. "Do you need some assistance?"

"Um, no…it's just a lot heavier than I thought it was." She said.

"You sure?" he smirked as she tried to pull it up. But his gaze lingered a bit higher than her hands.

"No?" she looked up at him, smiling slightly.

He walked over and grabbed the tank, helping her get it on and moving his arms around her to fasten it. "Is that too loose?"

"No, I think it's good."

He removed his hands and then grabbed his, fastening it around his waist. He offered her a pair of goggles and then placed his own on, making sure they were secure. She put her goggles on and then waited for further instruction, since she had never done this before. "Ok so what we need to do is put on the flippers and then sit on the edge of the boat and fall back. Do you think you can do that?"

"Yes." She nodded.

He took out a pair of pink flippers and smirked as he handed them to her. "I thought you might appreciate that." He sat down and put on his own black ones.

"Really?" she raised a brow and looked at him, but sat and put them on anyways. "Well, for future reference, my favorite color is red, not pink." She informed him.

He snickered and got up. "But now you match." He walked over to the edge and sat on the boat side, patting the space next to him. "Come on slow poke."

She got up and sat next to him on the edge. "Still." She said, unable to think of anything witty.

He pulled down the mask, and helped her do the same before they fell back into the warm water. They swam down to the reef, and Sakura looked around in awe. It was a myriad of colors, as if a rainbow had been permanently placed in the ocean. There were also a ton of fish, many of which she didn't know the breed. She smiled behind the mask, completely enveloped in this underwater world he was showing her.

They swam for hours, and eventually their air tanks began to run out, so they had to ascend to the surface. Gaara hopped back up onto the boat and helped Sakura out of the water. She pulled off her mask, smiling brightly at him. "That was the most incredible thing I've ever seen in my entire life!" she exclaimed.

"I'm glad." He smiled, shaking out his wet hair so that it wasn't matted to his face. "The first time I went it was pretty amazing."

She ran her finger through her hair, trying to comb it out. "I can't wait to tell everyone at work I did this. They always say I never do anything fun." She commented, pulling off her flippers.

"Well it makes me happy that I can be the cause." He tossed the goggles aside, doing the same as her. "So do you want something to eat? We were down there for a pretty long time."

"I'm starving actually." She said, standing and taking off the air tank, which was a lot lighter now that it was empty. He picked up a towel and tossed it to her, grabbing another and beginning to dry his body as he walked into the yacht.

"I'll make us something then. What are you in the mood for?"

"Anything really. What do you have?" she asked, drying off as well.

"Well I don't mean to brag…but I make a mean sandwich when I put my mind to it." He smirked, glancing back at her, leaving the towel over his head.

"We'll see." She returned his smirk, wrapping the towel around her body and tying it in place.

He opened the fridge and pulled out some meats and cheeses, not really knowing what she liked so he just got a little of everything. "What kind do you like?"

"Ham, turkey, cheddar and Monterey jack with a bit of mayonnaise please." She said, taking a seat.

"A bit on both sides?" he asked, glancing over at her. She nodded, taking the time to relax. He made up her sandwich and then made one for himself to his specifications. Once he was done with both, he pulled out two glasses and popped open a bottle of wine. He walked over and offered her the plate and her glass, going back to grab his own before taking a seat next to her. "So how am I doing?"

She took a bite of her sandwich and swallowed before answering. "Well, you didn't lie about your sandwich making skills." She said, looking over at him as she took a sip of her wine.

He laughed, keeping his eyes on her as he drank himself. "That's not exactly what I meant."

"I know." She took another bite of her sandwich.

"Well…?" he asked.

She smiled slightly, taking her time in chewing and swallowing her food. "How do you think you're doing?" she asked, brining her legs up onto the couch with her.

He sighed, "I'm not sure. Hence why I asked. In my line of business I'm not very used to pleasantries, and I'm not exactly sure how to be…nice and not so overly nice."

"Hm." She took another sip of wine. "As far as first dates go, this was perfect. And, as I said at the restaurant, I'm not really viewing this as anything other than business, but you're doing a good job."

"Yes. Well," he smirked, finishing off his wine. "That will change soon."

"Dare to dream." She smiled, returning to her sandwich.

He just smiled and went back to his own lunch, actually enjoying her presence. The rest of the afternoon went by quickly, as they talked about anything besides Gaara's work. And once the sun began to start its decent they headed back to the mainland. It seemed to take less time to get back than it had to get out there, but Sakura assumed it was just the anxiety that made it so unbearable to wait.

Finally they docked, and once Gaara tied the boat to the wood he helped Sakura down, both dressed back in her cover up and his shirt. "Well, my car is that way." Sakura turned to him and pointed off towards a far area of the parking lot.

"Mine's right up in the V.I.P. parking. I can drive you to yours if you want." He said, with a small shrug.

"That's okay, walking is healthy." She said.

He sighed, hovering over her a bit. "You know, sometime, you're going to have to let me actually drive you somewhere." He smirked.

"We'll see." She returned his smirk and crossed her arms. "But as long as my car is in perfect driving condition, I think I'll be fine."

"Yes well," he said deeply, staring down into her beautiful emerald gaze, resting his hand on her hip. "Don't tempt me."

She stepped forward and placed her hand on his bicep, just barely brushing against him as she raised herself up on her tippy toes. "Consider yourself tempted." She murmured close to his lips before drawing away and beginning to walk towards her car. "See you on our next date!" she called with a wave, smiling at him impishly. He just stared after her, actually at a loss for words. He glanced down and cleared his throat, trying to adjust himself without seeming too obvious.

"See you then."


	4. Date 5: Aggravation

**Obligation**

_Chapter Four_

-Date 5: Aggravation-

Sakura sighed and looked at her phone once more, checking the time. Gaara wasn't there yet, but she had arrived a few minutes early anyways, so she didn't mind.

It had been about two weeks now since she had begun this horrible business arrangement with him, and she was becoming frustrated. Why wasn't he putting any moves on her? It wasn't like she wanted him to or anything, but guys were always putting moves on her, even if she didn't know them. It couldn't be that there was anything wrong with her. She was beautiful, people told her that all the time. So that must mean that something was wrong with him. Was he gay? A eunuch? Or, could he possibly, actually, maybe not find her attractive at all?

She knew these weren't real dates, at least to her they weren't, but that didn't mean that she hadn't been trying to make them seem real. She had even dressed cute for every single date. Take her outfit tonight for instance. They were just seeing a movie, but she had decided to wear a pair of tight capris that stopped above her knees, a red tank top, and a white cardigan with some white vans.

She gasped softly when there was suddenly a white daffodil in front of her face. "Hey there. Sorry to have kept you waiting." A deep voice said from behind her, though she already felt Gaara's presence looming over her.

"No problem." She said, taking the flower from him. She held it up to her face and smelled it, smiling slightly to herself. She turned around and looked up at him, taking in his appearance. He was wearing a black button up shirt that wasn't tucked into his dark, loose jeans. After her first encounter with him it was actually weird to see him in normal clothing, since she really only saw him as the mob boss, bleeding her free time dry to pay off her father's debt. "Thank you for the flower."

"Of course, though I tried to find something that could compare to your beauty, but none even came close. But this one made me think of you. So pure and elegant, yet yellow in the middle, just like sunshine." He said, seeming pleased that she was happy with his choice.

She couldn't help the soft blush that came to her cheeks, and she smelled the flower once more, a smile visible behind its petals. "It's lovely." She lowered the flower. "So what are we seeing?"

"I was thinking we could see that new Adam Sandler movie, Just Go With It. It looked pretty funny, and I heard some good things about it." He nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets, something she noticed he did quite often.

"Okay." She said.

"Alright then." He said, taking out one of his hands and offering it to her. She glanced down and then placed her hand in his own, letting him lead her over towards the box office. After they purchased their tickets they got some popcorn and drinks, and headed into the theatre. They sat down, getting pretty good seats that were nearly dead center. "So," he began, looking over at her. "How was your day at the hospital?"

She sighed. "Long." She turned her head towards him. "I had to work a twelve hour shift, starting at six this morning. And they're doing some intern of the month thing, which is completely stupid, but now I actually have to try and show up the others, since they are finally putting effort forth to get their picture put up on the bulletin board, though all that's happening is they just get in my way." She rolled her eyes. "They think it will make the head doctor want to keep them on when the year is over with."

"Well I'm sure you have nothing to worry about. After all, you went to a top medical school and made a 4.0." he assured her, patting her hand briefly before looking forward, since the lights began to die down and the movie started.

She frowned slightly but faced the screen so that she could see the movie. A few minutes in she glanced at Gaara and saw that he was staring at the screen intently. Then she looked at his hand, which was resting comfortably in his lap. Casually, as if it was normal, Sakura shifted slightly, crossing her leg and placing her hand on half of the arm rest, leaving him room should he want any. It wasn't that she wanted him to hold her hand or anything, it was just a test. A small spark shot through her when she saw his hand move, and then it plunged when he grabbed the drink from the cup holder and took a long sip before replacing it and setting his hand on his knee.

Deciding to drop the matter, she focused her attention back on the movie. About half way through, she slid her arm over the arm rest so that it was closer to him, and rolled it slightly so that her palm was almost completely face up, enough so that her intentions weren't obvious, but enough to leave him an opening.

"What are you doing?" Gaara asked, looking at her with a puzzled expression. She took her hand back instantly, a dark blush spreading across her cheeks. Thank God it was pitch black in the theatre so that it wouldn't be seen.

"Nothing." She said quickly. "My arm got a little stiff is all." Damn him and his stupidity. Perhaps he really was gay. But why ask her to go on all these dates? Was it to give off the image that he was straight? Because he'd done a good enough job of that on his own when they were at the restaurant two weeks ago when this whole thing started.

"Oh. Well here." He moved a bit, shifting in his seat so he was facing her more. He took her arm and extended it, rubbing the muscles that would have most likely been sore. "Does that feel better?"

"Yes. It's fine now." She said, trying to remain calm, though all that was going through her mind at this moment was, what the hell?

He released her then and faced forward once more. "You know if you are feeling stiff we can always leave."

"No, no. I want to see the rest of the movie." She said, crossing her arms and looking at the screen.

"Alright." He shrugged and looked forward as well, as if nothing had happened.

When the movie finished and the lights came up, they both stood and exited the theatre, throwing away their trash on their way to the front. "That was a good movie." Gaara commented.

"Mhm." Sakura said with a frown, her arms crossed once more. She stopped walking and looked at him then. "Are you gay or something?" she asked, needing to know.

He stopped, looking perplexed. "Excuse me?"

"Are you gay?" she repeated.

"Uh no." he said, looking slightly irritated, much more like the person she thought he was. "Why on earth would you think that?"

"Just wondering." She shrugged, placing her hands in her back pockets. "Do you…um…have all of your equipment?" she asked a bit hesitantly, an embarrassed blush coming to her cheeks.

He stared at her, seeming a bit more menacing than usual. "Equipment? You mean my dick?" he stated. She just nodded, unable to say anything despite her profession in the medical field. "Yes. Why?"

"Um, no reason." She laughed awkwardly, trying to wave it off. If he wasn't gay or a eunuch, then why didn't he seem attracted to her at all? Could that really mean there was something wrong with her?

"No, there's always a reason for awkward questions like that. Plus, I can tell there's more to it, because you're as red as a cherry." He pointed out, gesturing towards her cheeks.

She fanned her cheeks, trying to reduce their redness. "That's just because it's kinda hot in here." She lied.

"No it's not."

"Well it is to me." She crossed her arms then, praying that he would just drop it.

He rolled his eyes, obviously not buying it, but turned towards the exit. "Whatever you say."

She followed him, letting out a relieved sigh. Man, that was a lot more embarrassing than she had thought it would be. Partly because he had seen through her excuses, and partly because she had been expecting him to admit that he did have a fault. He stopped when they were outside and glanced back at her, waiting until she was beside him. "You know, if you really want to know or need some proof, I'd be _more_ than willing to show you." He smirked, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Her eyes widened. "Uh, t-that's not really necessary. I trust you."

"Well then, now that that's settled. I guess I will see you on Thursday." He smirked, enjoying her small panic.

"Yeah, see you then." She said, turning in the direction her car was in.

"See ya." He said, turning and heading the opposite way. He let a smirk slowly creep its way across his face. Everything was working perfectly. God, he was just a genius. She may pretend that she didn't care, but he knew just how crazy it was making her to know he hadn't even attempted anything with her. And God how he wanted to. She was making it _so_ easy. Her need was almost enough to make him cave, but he kept his iron will. He would make her beg for him, if not with her words, with her body. It was only a matter of time before she caved, and when she did, he would be ready.


	5. Date 13: Speed Zone

**Obligation**

_Chapter Five_

-Date 13: Speed Zone-

Sakura pulled into the parking spot, turning off her car and getting out. She looked at the place that she and Gaara were meeting a bit curiously, having never been here before. It was some place called Speed Zone, where you could race go-carts and stuff.

It was a bright sunny day, as summer was drawing to a close, and so she was wearing a pair of capris and a plain, light blue t-shirt with tennis shoes. She had tied her hair up into a short pony tail, not really putting a lot of effort into her appearance, since she was probably going to be all hot and sweaty by the end of the day anyways.

Gaara still hadn't tried to make any kind of move on her. The only thing he did was kiss her hand, and that was very rare. She just didn't understand him at all, and was becoming extremely frustrated. They had been dating for two months now, and still nothing. In her previous relationships her boyfriend, if that was what you could call him, would have already tried to get her into bed. But with Gaara, she had yet to pass first base.

She saw him waiting for her at the entrance, and walked over to him. "Sorry I'm late. There as a bit of traffic, and I wasn't exactly sure where this was, since I've never been here before." She told him.

The redhead glanced up from his phone, giving her a once over and then putting it away. "That's fine, I had to deal with a client anyways. So no worries." He assured, holding the door open for her. She walked through the door and waited for him on the other side.

"So are you ready to finally have a chance to beat me?" he smirked, following after her as they went up to counter to pick what they wanted to do. The inside was somewhat like a Dave & Busters, filled with arcade games and an area for eating.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Please. I've been waiting for the chance to shove your arrogance down your throat." She snickered.

"Oh I can assure you, the only one who has shoving on the agenda is myself." He smirked, giving her a suggestive look.

She blushed slightly, but smiled nonetheless. "One thing I don't think you know about me is that I like to be on top, cause' I'm the best." She said, looking back at the board in an attempt to hide her darkening face.

"Baby if you want to be on top, you go ahead and be on top, but eventually you're going to be beneath me screaming out my name." he said, leaning closer, actually pulling her body against his. "And you'd enjoy it."

Her eyes were as wide as saucers, and her face dark as a cherry. "Yes, well, you'll have to earn the privilege of being my first, so good luck with that."

"Your first?" he blinked, his arrogance completely gone and replaced with surprise. "You're a virgin?"

"Yes." She frowned slightly. "I was always too busy or focused on my schoolwork to keep a steady boyfriend. They didn't like that I wouldn't put out for them after the first few dates and if they couldn't deal with my schedule then I figured they weren't worth the effort. So I stopped dating."

"I see," he nodded, appearing deep in thought. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to sound so…well vulgar. I assure you, it wasn't my only intention."

She just shrugged. "It's not a big deal or anything. It's not like I play the innocent virgin all the time. And I just figured that you were only doing this with the hopes of getting me in bed, otherwise I don't see why else you would want to date me as a form of repaying my father's debt."

"Because I like you." He said simply.

"Why?'

He scratched the back of his head, shoving one of his hands in his pocket. "Well…I don't know. Ever since the first time I saw you I wanted to attempt to get to know you…but I mean you were busy and I couldn't exactly just run into you and go 'Hey, remember me? I paid for your college and you didn't even know'. That would have been kind of awkward."

A small smile made its way to her face. "Oh I wouldn't have put it past you to come up with some form of 'bumping' into me on the street and grabbing my attention."

"Well, technically I couldn't. The contract your father and I signed…well he forbade me from making any contact with you as long as he was alive." He sighed, looking off. "When I showed a slight interest in you, he said 'Over my dead body will I ever let you within speaking distance of her' and that was a condition of our contract."

"He was always looking out for me, though I don't completely agree with some of his methods." She said.

Gaara just shrugged. "Yes well, all that is over and done with, so what do you say? Want to go and race?"

"Okay." She said. They paid to race and got in their go-carts. Throughout the entire day they went on each of the five tracks, racing each other for the best time. Gaara won four of the five races, Sakura winning the last. Her excuse was that she was getting the hang of it, to which he just laughed it off.

When their date was over, both were sporting a few bruises, Sakura having a large one on her side from hitting someone else, and Gaara only having one on his arm. "This was a lot of fun. Thank you." Sakura said genuinely, smiling up at him when they stood back outside the entrance.

"No problem. I enjoy actually getting to take a break so it's a win-win situation." He said happily. Then he heard his phone go off. He sighed and pulled it, opening up the text.

"Do you need to go?" she asked, not wanting to seem too nosey, but at the same time not wanting to keep him from anything important.

He grimaced and looked up at her, giving her a small nod. "I do actually. This is something I need to take care of myself. But I promise I will make it up to you." He smiled, sticking his phone back in his pocket.

"Don't go out of your way on my account. I'm sure you're busy." She said, unable to help but return his smile. "Although, when you make it up to me, do it in a less painful way than today." She joked, talking about her bruise.

"Of course, of course." He laughed, giving her a nod. "Well I've gotta run. So I'll call you later." He promised before heading off towards his car and driving off.

Sakura let out a sigh and walked back to her car, getting in carefully and heading back towards her apartment. She would be the first to admit that dating Gaara had its perks, but that did not mean that she looked forward to them. Nor would she say that she was disappointed he had yet to make a move one her. No sir. She was a practical woman, and the best way to think of this was practically. They were only dating because it was a business agreement. Not because he liked her and wanted to know her. He was just using her father's debt to his advantage, and she wouldn't fall for his little ploys.

Nodding to herself, she entered the highway, cranking up the music on her stereo to drown out her thoughts of the redhead.


	6. Date 21: Sky High

**Obligation**

_Chapter Six_

-Date 21: Sky High-

"Sakura, there is someone in the lobby here to see you." One of her fellow interns told her. The pink haired woman didn't even look up from the chart she was filling out.

"Tell them I'm busy." She said. It didn't make sense to her that anyone she knew would be here to see her. After all, every single one of her friends knew not to bother her at work, not only did it look tacky and unprofessional, but she really didn't have time to see anyone.

"He said you would say that, and told me to tell you that if you didn't come see him, he was going to destroy your car, so that you'd have to let him pick you up." The woman said, sounding confused as she recited what the man had told her.

Sakura's head shot up at that. "He? Destroy my car?" That could only mean one thing. "Does he have red hair?" she asked suspiciously.

The woman nodded. "Yes. He's very handsome too. Is he your boyfriend?" she asked, becoming excited.

"More like my stalker." She muttered, setting down the chart before walking past the woman and towards the lobby. What could Gaara possibly be doing here at the hospital? Her shift didn't end for another hour, and they weren't due to meet up for their date for another eight hours, as it was only now nine in the morning.

She really didn't feel like dealing with him right now. She'd been working a double shift, having already been here for the past thirteen hours. The doctor that was in charge of her had had her assist in a seven hour surgery, so her scrubs were splattered with blood, she smelled of disinfectant and latex gloves, and looked like hell, with her hair thrown up in a messy ponytail.

Reaching the lobby, she spotted him standing over in one of the far corners, his back to her as he watched one of the televisions. She walked over to him, stopping a ways behind him. "Gaara, what are you doing here?" she asked.

He turned around, smiling when he saw her and offered her a beautiful and massive bouquet of purple dendrobium orchids. "I knew you'd be having a long day and I just wanted to stop by and give you these in hopes of making you feel better." He said, sounding sincere, not even slightly affected by her appearance. He just looked at her as he had every time they were out together.

She couldn't help the way her eyes lit up, or the bright smile that came to her face upon seeing the beautiful flowers. "Oh my goodness!" she exclaimed, taking them from him. She brought them to her face and smelled them, smiling softly. "Thank you so much. I just love flowers." She said, gingerly touching one of the petals and glancing up at him.

"I'm glad you like them. I thought roses would be too cliché but these looked very nice." He nodded, sticking his hands in his pockets as he looked off, not really knowing what to say.

"Are we still on for five o'clock?" she asked, glancing at his hands and then noting his expression. He put his hands in his pockets quite often, and Sakura was beginning to realize it was a habit that he did. But he usually only seemed to do it in situations where emotions or uncomfortable topics were discussed or the atmosphere had the potential to become awkward. All in all, she figured it was something he did when he was unsure about something, and thought the action to be very cute, though she would never tell him that.

"Of course." He looked back at her, seeming a bit worried. "Are you busy now? Is it not going to work, cause I had a wonderful idea for today, I know you'll really like it."

"No, no." she shook her head. "I can still make it. My shift ends in an hour, and once I go home and sleep I'll be good to go for tonight, I promise." She smiled in order to reassure him. "Where should I meet you, by the way?" she asked, bringing up the flowers and hiding the lower half of her face as she turned from side to side slightly.

He looked relieved and then waved her off. "I will text you the address, it's kind of out there so don't worry about it until later. Though we could always just go together if you'd let me drive you for once." He snickered.

"Nope. Then it would be too much like a real date." She said stubbornly. "Besides, my car works just fine."

"But we've been dating for around four months now," he sighed, thinking about all the time they had spent together. "It would be nice," he tried to coax.

She just crossed her arms, still holding the flowers upright so as not to ruin them. "Uh huh. And in that four months many other things haven't happened in a normal fashion, so why should I let you pick me up? I am perfectly capable of driving myself, and it'll do my old car some good." She said with a nod.

He still hadn't kissed her. Hadn't done anything of the sort that she was used to. In fact, this was technically her longest relationship, and nothing had happened. At all. By now, not only was she frustrated, but she was beginning to get sexually frustrated, and that wasn't a good thing. Especially because she wasn't entirely sure how to deal with the whole thing.

Gaara just sighed and rolled his eyes, leaning back some. "Fine, fine. I'll text you the address and you can meet me there."

"Okay. I'll see you then." She said.

"See ya." He waved before heading towards the front and leaving the hospital.

Sakura took another sniff of the flowers and smiled before walking over to the front desk and leaving them there. The receptionist would look after them while she finished her shift, and she could grab them on her way out.

* * *

Many hours later, a refreshed Sakura drove to her destination to meet Gaara. Once she had gone home and placed her flowers in a vase at the center of her table, she'd gone straight to sleep, waking up in time to shower and get ready for their date. She didn't know exactly what they were doing, so she had decided to wear some shorts and a nice summer top that was the same color pink as her hair. It cut straight across the top and was tight around her breasts, but loose all the way down the rest of her torso, with two thin straps holding it up. She was wearing her white cardigan once more and her white shoes, wanting to get as much use out of her summer clothes while it was still warm outside.

It seemed like she drove through the countryside forever, until she eventually came upon an old, abandoned ranch. She recognized it from the papers, as the large field was used by the city for numerous things, such as festivals and fairs. She parked next to Gaara's car and got out, her eyes widening at the sight before her. He was standing with another man who was a bit older than him, and behind them both was a large, beautifully designed hot air balloon. She stopped before the redhead, the look of shock still on her face. "This is what we're doing today?" she asked, looking up at the large balloon.

"Yup. Have you ever seen the city from a bird's eye view before? It's really something." He smiled, taking her hand and pulling her closer.

"I haven't." she said, allowing him to bring her closer to his body as she continued to examine the balloon. She looked at the basket somewhat skeptically. "It's not going to break and cause us to fall through, is it?" she asked, looking up at him.

Gaara just shook his head, "No, no. It's perfectly safe. I've done it loads of times with my sister when she still lived in the city. It was one of her favorite things. She really loved the breeze and the view…will blow your mind." He told her, looking up at the man and nodding. "We're ready whenever you are."

"Of course Mr. Sabaku." The man nodded and opened the door on the side of the balloon. "Right this way Miss." He gestured, stepping aside to that Sakura could enter the basket. She gave Gaara an unsure look before walking forward, her hand reluctant to leave his. She stepped into the basket cautiously before walking over to one of the poles and turning to make sure Gaara wasn't too far behind.

"Just relax." He told her, brushing his hand along her cheek in attempts to sooth her. "We're going to be fine and you will be glad you came up." He glanced back, seeing the man get in and start up the fire. Slowly, they began to rise and the basket moved a bit back and forth. She gasped slightly at the movement, and grabbed onto his arm, pressing against him slightly in order to feel safer at the height with which they were travelling to. She leaned forward slightly, watching as the ground became smaller and smaller as they ascended.

He smiled pulling her a bit closer so she could feel better, though in all reality he didn't really know if that was what she would want. By now, their cars were nothing but dots on the ground and the mountains were illuminated by the sun that was just now beginning to head for the horizon. Gaara looked around at the clouds and the blue sky that was slowly turning to a beautiful orange. Without even realizing it, he slid his hands into his jean pockets, letting her keep hold of his arm.

Sakura looked around her in awe, and then down to his hands, which were in his pockets. Before she could think about her actions, she slid her left hand down his arm and into his pocket, holding it in hers. Then she looked up at him to see his reaction. His gaze was focused down to their joined hands and then she slowly felt his finger intertwine with her own. He glanced up then, meeting her beautiful gaze. In this moment, Sakura wanted nothing more than to kiss him. The mood was perfect, the setting was perfect, everything was perfect. But, she had a feeling that he wouldn't do it, and so decided to finally confront him on the matter. "Gaara, can I ask you something?" she asked softly.

He looked a bit taken back and snapped from a daze but nodded. "Uh yeah. What?"

She frowned at him, taking him off guard. "Why the hell haven't you kissed me yet? I thought you were trying to woo me, and let me tell you, this is not the proper way to do it." She wagged her finger at him with her free hand. "If I'm going to be romanced, I expect it to be done properly, and the fact that you have yet to make any kind of move on me at all leads me to the conclusion that you are not very serious about this." She said, raising her chin a fraction.

He removed their hands from his pocket, keeping a tight hold on hers since he really enjoyed this contact. He cornered her, grabbing onto the basket to make sure he had her right where he wanted her. "Sakura," he smirked leaning closer, their noses just barely touching. "I told you…I would make you want it didn't I? Do you know how _hard_ it is to try and pretend like you don't drive my senses crazy. How many times I've wanted to kiss you, but I knew if I withheld it from you. You'd be the one coming after me. And I was right." He smirked, not giving her room to object. He pressed his lips against hers in a deep and actually meaningful kiss.

She placed her hand on his chest, but pushed him away while at the same time drawing back. It was very difficult for her not to fall under the spell of his kiss, but now that she knew his reasoning on the matter, she was going to make him suffer. "Uh uh, this is not romantic anymore now that I've told you I want you to kiss me. You have to wait now. I want romance, and-"

"Sakura, just shut up already." He smirked, meaning no ill will by the comment before returning his lips to hers, enjoying this sweet kiss. She returned his kiss this time, moving her hand from his chest to grip his crimson locks and hold his face against hers. He pressed his body against hers, not caring that there was another person present. He was going to enjoy as much of her body as she allowed. He had been waiting far too long to let this opportunity go. He wrapped his arm around her waist and deepened their kiss, biting down softly on her lower lip, asking for entrance.

She allowed it, letting out a soft whimper as his tongue tangled with hers in a battle for dominance. Becoming caught up in the moment, she brought her right leg up and hooked it around his waist, bringing their hips closer together. He pressed his pelvis into her own, allowing her to feel his want that she thought was not there. He let his hand rub up her thigh and up further, until he was gripping her butt.

A sudden cough broke them both from their heated moment and they glanced over to the man in the basket, who was actually blushing. "Heh." Gaara smirked, looking back at Sakura. "Whoops."

She smiled shyly at him, a lovely blush adorning her cheeks. "Well, it's what happens when you leave me wanting for over four months." She said. Her actions had surprised her though, because she's never gotten so caught up in her need with a man the way she had with Gaara.

"Yes, well." he smirked, looking a bit devious. "I hope the want does not end now that you've gotten what you wanted from me."

"Then you better not disappoint me in your skill." She snickered, lowering her leg slowly and brushing it against his. "Or I'll get bored."

"Darling, that is something I can assure you…you will never be bored." he promised, looking off slightly and then placing his finger under her chin, turning her head as well. They were so high now that they could see the orange sun glistening off the sparkling ocean.

Her eyes widened. "Wow." She said breathlessly, having never seen a more beautiful sunset. She laid her head on his chest and let out a content sigh. "It's magnificent."

He actually smiled, though she couldn't see it and rested his head on hers, enjoying the fact that he could be with someone like this. "It really is."

They stayed like that for a while, and the balloon slowly made its descent back towards the ground, since it would be harder to land in the dark. The old man opened the door to the basket and secured the balloon to the ground, waiting for its other two passengers to get off before deflating it. Still holding Gaara's hand, Sakura led them off and watched the balloon sink to the ground. "Thank you," She kissed his cheek lightly. "For a wonderful evening."

He leaned down and kissed her softly, enjoying the feel of her lips before pulling away. "No problem. Any time you want to do it again, just ask. I can arrange it whenever."

"Maybe once you can't come up with any other things for us to do on our dates." She smiled. "But until then, I can't wait to see what else you invent in that brilliant mind of yours." Because if Gaara was anything, he was a genius. After being with him for so long, Sakura had picked up that he was really smart, based off bits and pieces of their conversations. On top of that, you had to be of some sort of intelligence to run a mob that way he did, and so successfully too, since she never heard anything about them on the news.

Gaara looked extremely pleased with the compliment. "I'm glad that you think so, but I can always think of new things. You seem to inspire me to one up myself." He was trying really hard to keep a stupid grin off his face. He thought things were going extremely well and he actually felt…happier. Which was odd. Because whenever he was at work he found himself just as angry and annoyed as ever, until he saw the time and knew his time with Sakura was approaching. "I really enjoy your company Sakura." he said sincerely.

She gave him a contemplative look. "Surprisingly enough, I like spending time with you as well." Then she pointed a finger at him. "But don't get any ideas. That doesn't mean I like you, it just means that you're tolerable." She said, though it was easy to see by the look on her face that she was messing with him.

"I can work with tolerable. Tolerance can lead to some pretty amazing things." he snickered, walking her over to her car and pressing her against it, leaning closer. "Besides. I'm a very patient man. And I still have thirty four amazing dates left with you."

Her breath hitched as she looked up at him. She had to admit, he was really sexy when he wanted to be. "Well," she licked her lips, glancing at his before looking back up into his beautiful jade eyes. "We'll see just how amazing they are, won't we?" she asked softly, beginning to feel her heart hammering in her chest at her nervousness.

"I haven't disappointed yet," he whispered into her ear, kissing her neck and slowly making a trail down her throat to where her shoulder began.

She gripped his biceps and tilted her head to the side in order to give him better access to her throat. "No, you have far exceeded my expectations." She admitted, closing her eyes. He smirked, enjoying her body and how it reacted to his.

"Then I guess I'm actually doing something right."

"Guess so." She smiled slightly.

He pulled away then, but not before stealing another kiss. "Drive safe." He smirked, moving back then and watching as she got into her car. He stayed in place, waiting for her to leave and then finally got into his own car. He let out a content sigh and started the engine, his mind filled with thoughts of Sakura and how wonderful it felt just to be around her. He would make sure that by their fifty fifth date, she would want to be with him, because he wanted to be with her. More than anything.


	7. Happiness

**Obligation**

_Chapter Seven_

-Happiness-

Sakura hummed happily to herself as she catalogued and arranged the new shipments of supplies the hospital had received. Things were actually pretty slow today, and so she had volunteered to do this, wanting something to do and knowing that nobody else would. She let out a content sigh as she moved on to another box and opened it. Today was a good day, and she was scheduled to go on another date with Gaara soon.

They had been dating for a little over five months now, and she had to admit that things were going well, especially now that they kissed more often. And boy was he a great kisser. She smiled at the thought. Surprisingly enough, sometimes she forgot that the only reason they were even dating was because she was repaying her father's debt to him. She liked him well enough, and she knew that he liked her, but she didn't want to like him. She didn't want to like someone who did bad things for a living and manipulated her into seeing them. It just wasn't what she believed in.

But, he was really nice, and he made her happy. So not all of his qualities were bad. It was actually hard to believe that he did run the mob, since he just seemed like a regular guy most of the time.

"Well, you've been happier lately." A woman's voice came from the doorway.

Sakura let out a startled scream and quickly turned around, seeing the smiling face of her supervisor and head of the hospital. "Tsunade, you scared me." Sakura said, smiling at the blonde woman.

She chuckled. "Sorry Sakura. I had come to see how you were doing. You seem to be perkier than usual today. Do you have another date with that boy?"

"Yes. Tomorrow night." Sakura blushed slightly. "But it's nothing. We probably won't be together for very long." She said, trying to brush it off.

"Oh I doubt that." Tsunade walked forward. "Over the past few months or so you've just been getting bubblier. It's like there's a glow about you, and when you have a date coming up soon you smile like an idiot."

The pink haired woman crossed her arms. "I do not smile like an idiot." She pouted.

"Yes you do. The entire nursing staff talks about it all the time." The blonde nodded. "But it's not a bad thing. We're all really happy that so soon after the loss of your father you found someone that makes you happy."

"He does make me happy." She said softly, the corner of her mouth lifting in a smile.

"Is he hot?"

"Oh yes. Really hot." Sakura nodded.

"Is he a good kisser?"

"An excellent kisser."

A mischievous look came to Tsunade's face and she leaned closer to her student. "And, how good is he in bed?" she raised a brow.

Sakura blushed furiously. "Um, well, we haven't had sex yet." She said.

"You haven't slept with him yet?" Tsunade exclaimed, looking surprised. "But you've been dating for so long, how is he still with you if you won't put out?"

"Tsunade!" Sakura scorned, the embarrassed blush still on her cheeks. "Why do we have to have sex for the relationship to work out?"

The older woman blinked. "You don't. It's just a really, _really_ nice perk. And if he's so good with his mouth, imagine what he could do with it on other parts of your body, and what he's capable of with the rest of his equipment." She said conspiratorially. The thought made Sakura shiver slightly.

"Yes, well, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, I'm fine with the way things are." Sakura said firmly.

"Uh huh. You keep telling yourself that girly." Tsunade picked up a package of latex gloves and turned to leave the storage room. "Tell me how your date goes Sakura. It's nice to know that at least one of my interns has a life." She said, turning the corner.

Sakura let out a sigh and shook her head, returning to her previous task. For a head medic, Tsunade was pretty strange. But the blonde did have a point. Sakura didn't feel so lonely anymore with Gaara in her life. She still missed her father, but there wasn't a sense of longing and sadness whenever she thought of him. Instead, she was almost grateful that his death had brought her to Gaara. It was as if he wanted her to be able to move past his death and remember that she could still live her life just fine on her own. Even though technically she wasn't alone.

She thought about the other things Tsunade had said, about sleeping with Gaara. She knew it would be a pleasurable experience, after all, he just screamed masculinity. But she was afraid of what would happen if she did. If she gave him herself completely, she would forever be tied to him through that bond. And she didn't know if that was what she wanted. What if he was only seeing her so that he could sleep with her? Or, what if she disappointed him in the bedroom? What if she wasn't good enough?

Shaking her head, she decided to turn her thoughts to their upcoming date. Tomorrow was Friday, and since she had Monday and Tuesday off, he said they were going to fly somewhere. She didn't know exactly where it was, since all he had told her was what to pack and which airstrip to meet him at, but she was really excited. He always came up with something new for them to do, and she liked the sense of delight and anticipation she felt when she knew she was going to see him. Smiling once more, she pulled out her phone and decided to text him, telling him about how excited she was for tomorrow.

* * *

"Gaara."

The redhead just stared out the window of his office, oblivious to the annoyed dark haired man in his presence. "Gaara." He said again, but this time louder. "Gaara!" he snapped, breaking him from his daydream. He glanced back over to his friend, looking slightly confused.

"Huh? You say something Sasuke?" he asked.

Sasuke sighed and sat down in one of the plush chairs. "What is wrong with you, you've been drifting in and out of the conversation the whole time I've been here. Not to mention you've been acting weird as of late."

Gaara let out a deep breath and gave the man an apologetic smile. "Sorry Sasuke. It's just this woman-"

The Uchiha head held up his hand to stop him there. "A woman." He rolled his eyes. "You mean that pink haired doctor?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm just…I dunno. I feel so…"

"Happy?"

"Yeah." Gaara sighed, leaning back in his chair. "Everything seems so…right around Sakura. I can't help how I act. I feel like a high school boy all over again and it royally sucks. I'm the head of the mob, I shouldn't be so…"

"Fluffy?" Sasuke smirked.

Gaara shot him a glare. "Not _exactly_ the word I would have used to describe it, but basically."

The ebony haired man sat forward, shifting in his seat as he placed his elbows on his knees. "Listen here Gaara. A man of your profession when you are looking for a woman…she's got to be right. She needs to know all aspects of you before you think you have fallen for her. I mean, I know she knows you are part of the darker side, but she's never really experienced what you do…has she?"

"Well no…"

"So you can't really let yourself fall for this temptress until you know for sure she wants to be with you, just because she loves you and I do mean all of you. Leading a double life is very difficult my friend, not even the strongest man can do it forever." He tried to explain.

Gaara grimaced and glanced off, "I know. But it's not like I can just…_kill_ someone in front of her. That would be horrible and she doesn't need to see that."

"Well then…" Sasuke trailed off, appearing deep in though. "Why don't you introduce her to me? After all, Naruto and I are really the only people who know both sides of you. And then you can invite her to that party you're hosting. A lot of your clients will be there and by having her interact with your business life, you can find out if she's really here to stay."

"That's a great idea." The redhead sat forward as well, rubbing his chin as he thought about it. "Yeah…yeah. That's perfect."

Sasuke stood then, pulling on his jacket to straighten it. "Well, look over those briefs I gave you and then give my office a call. I'll have your merchandise shipped within the next few days."

Gaara rose from his seat as well and nodded, organizing the papers on his desk. "Thanks Sasuke, I'll make sure it's retrieved."

The Uchiha headed for the door and button his jacket, glancing back as he took hold of the door knob. "And by the way…if it's any consolation…you really do seem happier…and it's nice." He smirked, waving as he walked out.

Gaara let out a small laugh and sat back down, his own smirk adorning his features. "Ah, Sasuke." He sighed, turning around in his chair and looking back out his window at the wonderful ocean view, his thoughts returning back to his lovely pink haired lady. He felt his phone vibrate and pulled it out and saw it was a text from Sakura. He couldn't help but smile as he replied. He knew she'd be excited and she had no idea that he was taking her to Paris for a wonderful weekend.


	8. Date 36: Happy Anniversary

**Obligation**

_Chapter Eight_

-Date 36: Happy Anniversary-

Gaara walked up the steps towards Sakura's apartment building. He was dressed in a black button down shirt, with some black slacks. He'd actually really tried to look nice tonight, since it was a very momentous occasion. He looked down at the two dozen roses he'd gotten for her and sighed. He knew roses were cliché but the fact that they had been together for six months now made him feel the flowers fit. He found her number and knocked on the door loud enough so she could hear.

"Just a second!" Sakura yelled at the door. She was in her bedroom trying to get her hair to cooperate for her date with Gaara. It was their sixth month anniversary, and even though she didn't know what they were doing, she had been told to dress up. She wore a red cocktail dress that had a halter top with a deep V-neck, showing off more cleavage than she normally did. It had a rhinestone buckle around the middle, just under her breasts, leaving the pleated skirt to flow loosely until just above her knees.

She snapped the red barrette into place, so that her curled bangs were held away from her face, letting the rest of her curls fall freely, she hurried over to her front door, her strappy red heels clicking on the wooden floor. She grabbed her small clutch purse and made sure she looked perfect before opening the door with a bright smile. "Hey." She greeted.

"Hey." He smiled, holding the flowers out to her. "Happy Anniversary baby." He said, leaning over the roses and kissing her sweetly.

She returned his kiss, taking the flowers from him as they pulled away. "Happy Anniversary to you too." She said, smelling them. "These are lovely, thank you. Just let me put them in some water really quickly and we can leave. Come on in." she said, walking over to her kitchen to find a vase. He walked in after her, looking around her neat apartment.

"Take your time," he said, stopping in front of one of the shelves, examining the pictures of her and her friends.

"I'm sorry you had to drive all the way over here and pick me up." She said from the kitchen, pulling down a vase and letting it fill with water as she cut the end of the rose stems. "My car just wouldn't start this morning no matter what I tried, and so I had to call one of my friends and have them take me to the store."

He walked over and stopped in the doorway, leaning against the frame. "That's alright. After all, now it's _exactly_ like a date." He smirked, giving her a suggestive glance.

She rolled her eyes at him. "Yeah, well…" she searched for words, but couldn't find any. "So." She eventually said, turning off the faucet and placing the roses in their new vase. She arranged them slightly, and then placed them on her small kitchen table in the center. Picking up her purse, she walked over to Gaara. "If this doesn't go well I'm gonna continue to drive myself when my car is fixed." She threatened, though they both knew she probably wouldn't.

He pulled her towards him, kissing her. "You think it won't go well?" he asked against her lips.

"No, I think everything will go smoothly." She kissed him once more, closing her eyes. "But I have to show some resistance or I'll feel cheated." She smiled against his mouth.

He pulled away, looking slightly confused. "Cheated?"

"Yeah." She said, blinking. "You know…like I didn't try hard enough not to like you." Her brow furrowed. "Which is really hard by the way. If you keep this up, I think I could fall in love with you, and then you'd be stuck with me forever." She said, trying to make it seem like that wasn't something completely huge for her, even though it was.

"I want you to fall in love with me." He smiled sadly.

"You do?" she asked, slightly surprised.

"Well…yeah." He said, sticking his hands in his pockets.

She smiled at him, looping her arm through his. "You're cute." She said, kissing him lightly. "So, shall we go?" she asked.

"Yeah, yeah. Bossy." He smirked, leading her back out of her apartment. After she locked it, they went downstairs and got into his car and began their first drive together. "So I thought for our six month anniversary I would cook you dinner…at my house." He said, trying not to sound so nervous about it. The fact was, he'd never brought any woman to his house before. Of course, she didn't know this. But it was a very big deal.

"Do you cook as well as you make sandwiches?" she asked with an easy smile, turning towards him a bit in her seat.

He laughed. "Well I guess we'll find out, won't we?"

"Guess so." She said, watching the road to see where it was they were going. She wasn't going to lie, she was extremely nervous about going over to his house. This would be a huge step in their relationship. But, she felt like she was ready for that. It was about time she saw where he lived anyways. You could learn a lot about a person based on their home, and so she was looking forward to seeing what Gaara's would reveal about him.

It took a while to actually reach his neighborhood, but as they passed by the houses, Sakura grew more and more nervous. These were _not_ houses, they were mansions. Finally, they pulled up to a gated area, the house was hidden by large, freshly cut bushes and there was a key code to get in. The gates opened slowly and she noted there were a couple cameras around the front, some more probably hidden. They drove up a winding driveway, trees still blocking most of the house, but even with the partial vision she could see just how big it was. They pulled up to the circular drive way, the whole thing was tiled and looked really expensive. There was a small fountain in the center surrounded by grass and angular cut bushes.

The house itself was absolutely breath taking. It was a Spanish style mansion, with red tiled roof. The front had a walkway with two pillars as the entrance before you headed for the doors made of dark oak. It looked similar on either sides, Two balconies on either side of the entrance and massive windows to let in the light. She could only imagine what it looked like on the inside. It curled around the front drive way like a U, making the area seem even more enclosed. Gaara pulled up to the front and parked, looking over at her. "Well," he smiled. "What do you think?"

"Your house looks like it could fit ten of my apartments." She said in awe.

He shook his head getting out of the car and walking around to open her door for her. "Probably more than that, you just can't see the back of it right now."

She got out of the car and continued to look around at the place. "It's really pretty."

"Thanks," he said, taking her hand and pulling her towards the door. He walked in, pulling her in and allowing her to see the massive foyer. The floor was made of marble and everything looked amazing, it was simple yet elegant. "Well I already have the salmon almost done. I wanted it to be ready when you got here. So, go ahead and look around while I go check and meet me in the dining room in about fifteen minutes." He said, beginning to walk towards the kitchen. "And don't worry, you aren't going to find anything heinous. I don't bring my work home with me." He laughed.

She smiled at that and turned to walk down one of the first hallways she saw, making her way through the house at her leisure. It was a very nice abode, with the right amount of decorations so that it didn't look bare, but not too many to be distasteful. When she came upon a closed door, she opened it and peeked into the room, exploring it if it looked interesting enough.

At the end of one of the hallways she saw a set of large double doors, and assumed that it was either a library or the master bedroom. Curious, she opened the door and flipped on the light switch, her suspicion of it being the master bedroom correct. Her gaze focused on the large king sized bed, and she wondered what it would feel like to roll around in Gaara's sheets naked. They looked incredibly soft.

Blushing at her train of thought, she quickly shut off the light and closed the door, making her way back to the dining room. She wouldn't even bother with the second floor, it was probably just a bunch of guest bedrooms anyways, and she didn't want to keep Gaara waiting. She walked in and saw Gaara putting the final touches on setting everything up. "Your house is incredible." She said, stopping next to him.

He glanced over at her and nodded. "Thanks." He finished up and then licked his finger tips to get rid of the excess vinaigrette. "Alright, you go ahead and go sit down in the dining room and I'll bring out the food." He said, kissing her cheek and grabbing a few more things. She did as she was told and went into the adjoining room and gasped. It was absolutely beautiful. There were already two places set at the head of the table and then right next to it. She took the one on the side, assuming he would be sitting on the end. He came out, holding two plates filled with crisp lettuce. "Caesar salads." He placed them both down and then disappeared once more, coming back out with their main dish. "And grilled salmon with a morel vinaigrette finish." He set those down as well and then, popped open a new bottle of wine.

Sakura inhaled deeply, smiling in appreciation at the smell. "It smells and looks delicious." She said. He poured her a glass and then himself before sitting down.

"Well I remember you ordered salmon on our first date. So I thought you would like it." He said, taking a sip of the red wine.

"Points to you for remembering." She toasted him and then took a sip of her wine before setting it down. It was one of the most delicious wines she had ever tasted. He nodded and they began to eat, until he slowed down.

"So…I was wondering…if you wanted to meet my friend. I mean we've been together for a while now. I just thought you might be interested in actually meeting the only person I truly consider close to me besides you."

She slowed down in her chewing and swallowed. "What does he do?" she asked, genuinely curious.

He looked like he was having an inner debate, but finally sighed. "He's a…arms dealer."

"Oh." She nodded and glanced down, moving some of her salad around in her bowl. It would only make their relationship seem more like a real one. Did she want that? She wanted to meet his friend out of curiosity, to see the kind of people he hung out with, but she wasn't sure. Then again, if he thought highly enough of her to want to introduce her to his closest friend, who was she to say no? It would be like a test really, to see what his friend thought of her more likely. She looked back up at him. "I would love to. It doesn't even have to count as a date or anything. We can just hang out or something if you want." She said, smiling shyly at him.

Gaara actually looked somewhat shocked. "Are you sure…? I mean if you want we could count it as one…I personally would prefer not to. But he's interested in meeting you. He says…I seem happier now." He shrugged, looking off to avoid her gaze.

Her smile widened. "If you and I aren't alone for the most part then I don't count it as a date." She said. "Besides, my supervisor told me that I seem a lot bubblier now, so I'm glad…that I can make you happy too." She blushed and looked down at her mostly eaten salad and fish.

Too? He looked back at her. So he made her happy as well. The knowledge seemed to lift an enormous weight from his chest. He reached over and took her hand in his, lifting it and kissing her hand. "The feeling is mutual. And I can ask my friend Naruto and his girlfriend to come if you want. I think you'd really like her."

"I'd like that." She smiled, the blush still on her face.

"So…" he began, releasing her hand and continuing to eat. "Is there…anything you want to know about me you already don't? Sasuke told me to make sure I didn't have any skeletons in the closet."

"Well," she said, taking a bite of her salmon. "Do you have any secrets that you consider skeletons in your closet?" she asked, glancing up at him.

He thought for a moment and looked at her, for the first time actually looking ashamed. "Well I don't know if it's really a secret…" he sighed and locked his pale jade gaze with hers. "But I…kill people." He didn't know why he said it, but he just felt it was needed to be voiced.

That was something she had already assumed, but it was different to assume it and to actually be told about it. "Do you enjoy killing people?"

"You know…I don't really feel anything anymore about it. I just do what needs to be done." He explained. It was true, killing someone had neither a positive nor negative effect on him. When he had been younger, it had given him a thrill, all that power. But as he had gotten older and matured, it was only out of necessity. Either kill or be killed. It was the way the world worked. No matter what your profession.

"Then I don't really think it's that big of an issue." She said. As long as he wasn't completely psychotic and enjoy killing people, then she could just pretend it didn't really happen. She took a sip of her wine. "So, I'm pretty sure you know practically everything about me, since you had me followed for four years, but…is there anything you wanted to know?" she asked.

He smiled. "Yes…there was one thing I could never figure out. Why did you want to become a doctor?"

She set down her fork and fidgeted slightly in her lap. "For my mother." She said softly, looking down once more. "She had pancreatic cancer, and so I decided that I would become one of the best doctors in the world, and find a cure for her." She sighed. "But she died before I could even finish college, so I vowed to continue my dream and find the cure, so that nobody else would have to deal with the loss of a parent the way I had to." She looked back up at him, her eyes shining with unshed tears. "I know you can't really save everybody, but I still like to try."

"My mother died giving birth to me. So…I think your reasoning is great." He said truthfully.

"I'm sorry." She said, sniffing and collecting herself. She hadn't really told anyone about her reason for becoming a doctor before, other than her father. "I haven't really got to save anyone yet." She smiled slightly. "But I did get proposed to yesterday. It was pretty interesting." She chuckled.

His reaction was quite the opposite, "Who?" he demanded, looking a bit darker than usual.

"Just this old man who's been a frequent patient." She waved it off. "He was on a lot of pain medications, so I doubt he really meant it."

"Oh," he laughed, seeming to return to his normal demeanor. "Right, right. Well that's interesting. I'm sure he really wishes you were available."

She smiled at him. "What makes you think I said no? It was one heck of a proposal, a girl doesn't get one of those every day." She teased, crossing her arms.

He huffed, actually visibly appearing jealous. "Well I'm sure I could do it much better."

"Hm." Was all she said, reaching for her glass and finishing off her wine. He was really cute when he got jealous. "So, did anything interesting happen to you since I saw you last?"

"Do you mean interesting that you would actually want to know about, or interesting from work interesting?" he arched what could be a brow as he poured her some more.

"Um…interesting in general?" she shrugged, taking another sip.

He thought for a moment and then shrugged. "Nothing too interesting. There is this group, that's trying to climb its way up and stepping all over my toes. So we're having a few problems there. But nothing I cannot handle."

She smiled. "I'm sure it will be fine." She sat back and let out a content sigh. "This was really good. I'm stuffed."

"I'm glad you liked it." He smirked, sitting back as well. "So…what would you like to do now?"

"Well," she gave him a suggestive look. "It wouldn't seem right if we didn't make out. It's like a crime, actually."

He stood, offering his hand down to her. "Then why don't we adjourn to a more comfortable setting?" he said, pulling her up and taking her down the hall. She saw two familiar doors and felt her heart skip a beat. He opened one and walked in, flipping on the light to his bedroom. Sakura followed him inside somewhat hesitantly, actually taking time to look around the room, since before she had only been preoccupied with his bed. He pulled her against him, letting his fingers trace down her bare arms. "I miss you when we're apart." He said truthfully, kissing her neck and biting down on her sensitive flesh.

She gasped, placing her hands on his chest. "I can't go a day without thinking about you." She admitted, tilting her head to the side.

"I can't go an hour." He confessed. "I think about you all the time." He murmured, kissing along her collar bone and then lower, lower than he'd ever been bold enough to go before.

"Gaara." She softly pleaded, arching against him and moving her hands to his biceps. "You distract me when I'm at work you know." A small smile formed on her lips.

"How so?" he asked, hoisting her up and carrying her over to the bed before laying her down gently and returning to his ministrations, moving loser and nipping along the swell of her breast.

Sakura whimpered, arching against his mouth. "You enter my head and then I think about you and I wonder what you're doing. And sometimes, when work is really slow, I day dream about you."

"What do you day dream about?" he glanced up at her, placing his hand on her thigh and slowly rubbing upwards. He'd be a liar if he denied that he wanted her. And God he wanted her. But he also wanted this to last and if she refused him, he would respect her, no matter how hard it was.

She blushed, looking away from him. "It's embarrassing." She muttered.

"So?" he smirked. "I want to hear." He said, letting his hand smooth up her thigh and between her legs, tugging at the string of her thong.

"Mm." she bit her finger and glanced at him, trying not to lose herself in the way he was making her feel. "Stuff like…playing doctor…or hostage." Her face was as red as a cherry now.

He actually sat up, looking down at her as he pulled her slinky underwear off and looking at the red stringy fabric. "I've imagined you on my desk…_many_ times." He said, tossing the garments aside and replacing his hand back between her legs, stroking her already wet folds with his finger. "You really are a virgin…aren't you?" he smirked, deciding to be his awful self and tease her clit.

She gasped and sat up, looking him right in the eyes, her own wide. Nobody had ever touched her there before, but it felt really good. His words came back to her, and she began to feel a sense of panic. If they kept going, he would expect her to sleep with him, and she didn't know if she could. "Gaara, I'm not ready for this." She said, trying to keep a reign on her emotions.

"I know." Gaara smiled, removing his hand from her. He would do everything in his power to keep the disappointment off his face. He placed his hands on either side of her waist, kissing her deeply. "And I'm not going to force you." He whispered, pressing his forehead against hers. "But other than you, I am craving ice cream." He smirked.

She smiled at him, but it didn't fully reach her eyes. He was so sweet. Most guys in that situation would have pressured her into doing it, and she would forever be grateful to him for just letting it go. "I'm sorry." She kissed him once more to convey her apology. "But ice cream does sound nice right about now."

He kissed her back, lifting his hand holding her face, stroking her cheek. "Sakura, don't get me wrong. I really want to. But if you aren't ready then it isn't what I want. I don't want to just have sex with you, I want to make love to you." He whispered, pulling away and getting off the bed then, helping her up as well. "So don't worry about it. As I told you before, I'm a patient man."

"Does that mean that you love me?" she asked, looking up at him, her wide emerald orbs searching his jade.

Gaara went a bit wide eyed himself, fully grasping his words. "Um well…I mean…I think so. I've never felt like this before." He laughed, hoping he didn't sound too idiotic. God, if anyone ever saw him like this, he would lose all his credibility. But strangely, around her, he didn't care to show his softer side. "I've never brought a woman to my house before." He told her.

Her smile widened slightly at the news. So he was pretty sure that he loved her, and she was the first woman to ever be brought to his house. It made her happy. She kissed him sweetly. "Well let's celebrate with that ice cream you mentioned." She said, grabbing his hand and leading him out of the room and to the kitchen. He stopped her before they could go in and gave her an endearing look.

"I meant we could go out for some, since its getting kind of late and I think if you stay here I might be too tempted." He smirked, kissing her cheek as he pulled her closer. "But your excitement was absolutely adorable."

She blushed as she was pulled closer to him. "Okay." That was a good idea, best way for things not to go too far. And that way she wouldn't be tempted either. He leaned down and kissed her, giving her but a firm squeeze.

"I'm keeping your underwear though." He said before pulling away and heading into the kitchen, grabbing his keys and her purse. "I mean, you were kind enough to leave them in my room. So I call dibs." He took her hand then and dragged her towards the front, giving her no room to go and reclaim the undergarments.

"B-but, what use are they to you?" she asked in bemusement as he led her to his car, the blush not leaving her face.

He shrugged. "I dunno. I'm a guy. There's something about panties that is just hardwired into our system." He opened the door for her and shut it once she was inside. He went around and got in, starting the car and pulling out from the drive way.

"Oh." She said softly, watching as they left his house behind and headed back towards her side of town. The rest of the night went by smoothly and Sakura couldn't even catch a hint of disappointment on Gaara's side. Which could only mean two things. One, he really was as perfect as she thought. Or two, he was just _really_ good at lying and manipulating. Eventually they left the ice cream parlor and headed back towards her house. Gaara parked the car and walked her back up to her apartment and stopped, waiting for her to unlock her door.

"I'm glad you let m pick you up and came over and had dinner with me."

She smiled up at him. "I'm glad you made me dinner and let me come over." She hesitated a moment. "And, from now on you can continue to pick me up, like real dates." She said, rocking a bit in her nervousness.

He stared at her for a bit, before returning her gorgeous smile. "Alright. I'd like that." He stepped forward and kissed the top of her head and then took her hand kissing it as well. "Good night Sakura. I'll call you tomorrow." He nodded before pulling away and heading towards the steps, sticking his hands in his pockets as he descended.

"Goodnight." She murmured, unlocking and opening her door. Shutting it behind her, she flipped on her lights and saw the beautiful flowers he had bought her sitting on her table. She smiled to herself as she began to take off her heels. The way things stood now, it was beginning to look like she might let him be her first. And who knew? Maybe in the process he would get her heart as well.


	9. The Friend Test

**Obligation**

_Chapter Nine_

-The Friend Test-

"I'm kind of nervous." Sakura said, running her hand nervously through her hair.

Gaara smiled, placing his hand on her hip and ushering her forward. "It'll be fine and you look gorgeous." He kissed her cheek as she fiddled with light pastel green sundress. It was strapless and she wore a beautiful diamond necklace that Gaara had bought her. It was in the shape of a heart and glittered when the sun hit it. It was a bit chilly out but still nice, so she had on a small white sweater, after all the temperature never really changed. "Come on," they went forward, walking into the restaurant.

He was just wearing what he had worn to work that day, minus the jacket, since he didn't want to look too formal. "Hello." The hostess greeter, giving them both a kind smile. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, we're here to meet Uchiha Sasuke."

"Oh," she nodded and moved around the podium, leading them towards the back and into a private room that was usually used for parties. Sasuke was sitting at the table, an empty glass in his hand. He glanced up and placed it down, standing as the two approached. The hostess bowed out and left.

"Well, well." Sasuke smirked, taking Sakura's offered hand and kissing it politely. "You're much prettier than I thought you would be. It's nice to finally meet you, I'm Uchiha Sasuke."

Gaara looked pleased, glad his friend had actually been impressed with her. Though even if he wasn't he wouldn't have cared. "I'm Haruno Sakura." She said, smiling at the other man.

"Might as well sit down. The idiot is running late, and I'm hungry." Sasuke said, rolling his eyes at the thought of their missing friend. Gaara pulled Sakura's chair out for her and after she sat down, took the place beside Sasuke.

"Such an unreliable PR you have Sasuke." He sighed, seeming amused.

The young Uchiha sighed as he sat down. "Yeah, well other than being stupid, he is good at getting people to believe him and be on his side, so I think I'll keep him around." He smirked at his friend. "Besides, I can always get you to threaten him or something should he fail." He joked.

"Very true." He nodded, ordering a drink for him and Sakura as they waited. "You will really like him Sakura, though…he talks a lot."

"Who ya talking about guys?" a loud voice yelled from the doorway, followed by a very timid looking woman with long beautiful dark hair.

"You, stupid." Sasuke said.

The blonde man pouted as he held out a chair for the woman he was with right across from Sakura. He looked at her then. "Hey, you must be the babe Gaara's been seeing." He held his hand out to her. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and this fine woman next to me is my girlfriend, Hyuuga Hinata." He said.

Sakura rose slightly to shake his hand. "Nice to meet you. I'm Haruno Sakura." She said, nodding to both of them as she sat back down.

"It is nice to meet you Sakura. I am glad that Gaara has found someone." Hinata gave the pink haired woman a timorous smile.

"Naruto do not call my girlfriend a babe. She is far too classy to be referred to such by you." He said simply, placing his hand on her knee, stroking her skin with his thumb.

"I just call it as it is." The blonde said, sitting on the other side of Sasuke. "So, Sakura, what do you do exactly?"

"At the moment I am interning at the city's hospital. But hopefully I'll be chosen to stay on as a permanent doctor in residence. I specialize in the various cancers and such, so I would also be performing surgeries as well."

"That's really cool. Hinata here just finished going to school to be a shrink." He said.

"Really?" Sakura asked, looking at her. "Do you like it?"

Hinata nodded. "Oh yes. The human mind is very fascinating."

"I'll keep that in mind." Gaara said, giving Hinata a nod. "No doubt when I finally get kids they'll need a therapist."

"Probably. You're crazy." Naruto muttered.

"At least he isn't stupid." Sasuke said as their drinks arrived. Sakura snickered behind her hand, thanking the waiter for her drink.

Naruto glared at him. "Why do you always call me stupid? Huh Sasuke? I make people like and trust you," he pointed at the ebony haired man. "Which is hard to do, since you're such an ass all the time."

"Naruto." Hinata chided, making him cross his arms and a pout come to his face.

"Hmph."

Gaara just snickered. "Yeah Naruto. That and he can cause he's the one that signs your pay check."

"Yeah well I should get a raise for having to put up with him." he said.

Sasuke shook his head. "Maybe if you weren't always late to meetings I would pay you more. As it is now, though, I'm considering hiring someone else."

"You wouldn't do that to me Sasuke, would you?" Naruto asked with wide eyes. Sasuke just ignored him and took a sip of his drink. Everyone ordered lunch then, and when the waiter left, Hinata looked at Sakura.

"So, Sakura, how did you and Gaara meet?" she asked. Sakura looked to Gaara, unsure if she was allowed to tell the woman the truth or not.

"Her dad owned me a whole lot of money and then he died and left it all on Sakura. So I said she could pay me back by going on dates with me." He said simply, not even hesitating with the truth. "And then she fell for me." He smirked, taking her hand and kissing it.

She smiled at him. "What can I say? It's your charm that had me hooked." She looked over at Hinata then. "So how did you and Naruto get together?"

"Well," Naruto said, not giving the dark haired woman a chance to answer. "We went to the same university, and she was doing a project where she had to analyze someone and their behavior. I figured it'd be a good way for me to get to meet her without looking like a creeper, so I volunteered. She studied my mind for about a month and fell in love with me." He declared with a pleased smile.

"So she fell in love with nothing?" Sasuke raised a brow. "Because I'm pretty sure that's all that's in that large head of yours."

Hinata giggled. "Actually, I already liked Naruto, and when he asked me out I decided to say yes. After all, he did help me get an A on my study of his child-like behavior."

"And what did you learn in this study, I am eager to know." Sasuke smirked.

"Yeah Hinata, what did you learn?" Naruto asked, thinking it was something good.

"That you act the way you do because you receive attention for it, which is nice, and that as long as people think you are incompetent they won't expect high things from you, so that when you do succeed everyone is shocked and you receive even more attention." She summed up.

"That sounds pretty spot on." Gaara said, laughing with Sasuke. "So Hinata…you seem pretty good at this. Could you tell about me? And how I really am? And what I'm like?" the redhead focused his pale jade gaze on her, already seeing her nervousness from all the attention.

"Um…" she thought about it for a moment. "You're a practical man, and have a lot of faith in yourself. You don't let people close very often, and when you do, it is for life. On the outside you appear to be arrogant and uncaring, but you have a big heart, as demonstrated with Sakura, and when you have a family, you would do anything to assure that they are safe and happy." She told him. "Am I right?" she asked softly, seeming unsure.

He just chuckled. "I think you're giving me a little too much credit. But I'd like to think all those things are in me." He smiled, leaning back in his chair as the waiter came back with their food and distributed the proper entrees.

"I think she's dead on." Sakura said, rubbing his knee under the table cloth. Then she sat up a bit and began to eat her salad.

He just gave her a loving smile and started eating as well. Everyone ate in silence for a while, until Naruto spoke up once more. "So Gaara, have you and Sakura had sex yet?" he asked tactlessly.

Sakura choked on a bite of salad and began to hit her chest a bit, trying to stop coughing. Hinata's eyes widened and her face darkened, and Sasuke just looked at him dubiously.

"Nope. Not yet." He said shamelessly, continuing to eat his mixed vegetables.

"Why not? She holding out on you or something?" he asked, eating the last bite of his steak.

Gaara sighed and set his fork down, looking at the blonde. "No Naruto, in fact she's already been in my bed. But she's a virgin and I'm waiting until she's emotionally ready. Cause her body is more than ready." He smirked.

"So when do you think you'll be ready, huh Sakura?" Naruto asked her.

"Can we talk about something else?" Sakura asked, her face red as a cherry.

"Just a simple question. Gaara's answering them just fine." The blonde shrugged.

She glared at him. "That's because Gaara isn't the virgin in this scenario."

"And whose fault is that?" he asked.

Hinata elbowed him. "Naruto, knock it off." She said.

"Sorry."

Gaara took Sakura's hand and tightened his grip, trying to reassure her. "It's ok. I don't mind at all. She's worth waiting for if I even get the chance." He nodded and then returned to his meal. "So Sasuke, how are the big guns going? Anything new I might like to invest in?"

"We do have a new shipment coming in soon that I think you will like. Picture this," he held up his hand. "Guns hidden in small CD players. They can kill someone if you're close enough, or just stun them enough so that you can get away." He said.

He sighed. "Sasuke you know I don't like the stun. I like the for sure kill. Besides, I just hate when you shot them and they still keep going, like they have a chance. It's so irritating and then they bleed all over the floor."

Sakura just continued to eat, pretending that she wasn't really hearing any of this. "Well, those would be more ideal for your guys out on the streets going jobs. Plus, these won't be detected at an airport as anything other than what they are, so you don't have to use those crappy porcelain guns." He rolled his eyes. "But, we also have a new form of bullets coming in that can shoot through any protective layer that a person is wearing, such as those vests cops wear."

"Hm." Gaara tapped his fingers along the table in contemplation. "Set up a meeting for me and the higher ups and give me a good presentation, I might just take you up on this. Though of course, I'll stick with my customized. Which reminds me, I need some more fire power for my personal collection. Those idiot's who call themselves the Vipers, are trying to cross over into my territory and I do mean _my_ own office."

"That is problematic. Alright, I'll bring you over a few pieces that I haven't shown anyone and let you take a look. I'll contact you secretary tomorrow." He said, taking a drink of his water.

"If they're called the Vipers, what are you called?" Sakura asked curiously.

Gaara actually laughed and Sasuke simply smirked. "Sakura," Gaara began, turning to face her. "Only idiots name their group. If you have a name then you have a symbol and if you are identified then you're screwed. A real mob doesn't need a name, it just needs a head. With no identification it's nearly impossible to be caught. Hence why I am so good at what I do. The only way in is to know someone and no one knows anyone. So basically you are only contacted there is no way to contact us. Unless you know me that is." He explained.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense." She said.

He heard his phone go off and fished it out of his pocket, reading the text. He sighed and replaced the device. "I've got to go. Hun, you want me to drop you back off at the hospital?"

"If you wouldn't mind. I don't want to cause you any trouble." She said, smiling at him.

"Of course not, you know how I love to drive you around." He smirked, pulling out his wallet and tossing down enough to cover the whole meal. "Lunch is on me guys. See you later." He waved, getting up and helping Sakura from her chair.

Everyone said their goodbyes, and Gaara and Sakura left the restaurant and walked to his car. They got in and buckled, and Sakura sighed. "I like your friends, but I think I'm going to punch that Naruto guy in the face one of these days." She told him.

"No one would blame you." He smirked, heading off. It didn't take them long to reach the hospital and with a kiss goodbye Sakura went back to work. Gaara stayed until she disappeared into the building and then headed off, sticking his Bluetooth in his ear. He hit the call button on his phone and set it down. "What do you want?" he demanded, glaring forward.

There was a long silence and his frown turned into a grimace. "Kankuro, you moron. I told you to leave the matter to me. What have you done? You better hope I don't get my hands on you because I'm going to kill you myself. Bring him to the office and I'll meet you there and tomorrow we'll finish this little _problem_." He hung up then and pulled the ear piece off. "Damnit Kankuro." Gaara cursed.


	10. Surprise Gone Wrong

**Obligation**

_Chapter Ten_

-Surprise Gone Wrong-

Sakura looked up at the building Gaara worked at and took a deep breath before going inside. She walked over to the directory and looked for which floor his office was on. Finding it, she went over to the elevator and punched in the top floor.

She was still wearing her scrubs, which were a mint green, since she had gotten off work early. She was originally supposed to work a full twenty four hour shift, and had just decided not to bring any clothes to change into, but they had been really slow today, and since she had finished all her paperwork and such, Tsunade had sent her home early.

It was close to lunch time, so she had decided to pick up some Chinese takeout and surprise Gaara at his office. She knew it was just another sign that they were in a real relationship now instead of a fake one, but she no longer cared. She really, truly, genuinely liked him, and always looked forward to seeing him.

When the doors opened she stepped out and walked over to the secretary she saw sitting at the desk in front of the office. "Hello." She greeted with a bright smile.

The woman looked up and took in her appearance. "Hello. Can I help you with anything?" she asked.

"My name is Haruno Sakura, and I was wondering if I could see Gaara." She held up the bag of food. "I brought him lunch." She said.

"Oh, how sweet. You can go on in Miss Haruno. Mr. Sabaku isn't in at the moment, but he should be back shortly." The woman said.

Sakura nodded and thanked her before going inside his office. It was very large, with two plush chairs on the other side of a large wooden desk. After looking around the room, she walked over to the window to check out the view, and it was really nice. You could see over half the city. Sighing, she turned and sat the bag of food on his desk, sitting on the edge of it. Idly she glanced down and saw that his personal calendar was lying open. Curious, she looked at his schedule for today, and saw that he wouldn't be back for about another hour.

Not wanting to wait around for him, she picked up the bag of food and walked out of his office. "I just remembered that I'm supposed to be at the hospital later." She lied.

"Oh I hate it when that happens." The receptionist said. "I'll tell Mr. Sabaku you stopped by."

"That's not necessary, I will talk to Gaara later." She said, getting in the elevator. "Thanks!" she said as the doors closed.

Walking back outside, she got in her car and started the engine, driving over towards the coast, where one of Gaara's warehouses was located. It took her a while to find it, but she parked next to his car and got out. Walking around the building, she found a door that was unlocked and entered.

It was pretty dark inside, only illuminated by a few hanging, fluorescent lights. There were a lot of crates, full of firearms she guessed, and so it was like walking through a maze to try and find Gaara. She figured that he was in the center of the warehouse, and so made her way in that general direction. As she was about to round a corner she halted and quickly ducked behind a large stack of crates in order to hide. Her eyes were wide and she tried to quiet her breathing, wanting to listen to what was going on.

"Did you really think that you were going to get away with this?" Gaara asked. There was a man kneeling on the ground, bloody from a beating he had already received. His arms were tied tightly together, almost looking painful. For the first time since meeting him, Sakura actually saw Gaara holding a gun and it scared her how absolutely perfect he looked in the position. "Well?" he yelled, pressing the barrel against the man's forehead. "Did you?"

"I…I-I d-don't know wh-what I thought!" he cried out, whimpering out of fear.

"That's what I thought." The red head spat out, moving back and glaring over at the man beside him. He was tall and looked vaguely similar to the redhead, but he had a swollen black eye that almost looked like it was throbbing. "Just because you could pull a fast punch on my idiot of a brother doesn't mean anything." He snapped, hitting the other man over the head and glaring at him. "This is _my_ city. And I'll be damned if you little garden snakes try and form your little gangs. You have no idea how to run organized crime. And your boss owes me a lot of money."

"I k-know! Pl-please! I was drunk. I'll get my boss to pay you back please! Just let me go!" he cried out.

Gaara cocked his gun and held it to the man's forehead once more. "No. I've already wasted enough time on you."

Sakura's breath hitched. Gaara was going to kill him. She didn't want him to though. She knew it was part of what he did for his job, but if he killed that man while she was here she didn't know what she would do. She couldn't get up and just leave, she was frozen in place by her fear. An idea came to her then, and with shaky hands she pulled out her cell phone and dialed Gaara's number. Perhaps, if she could get him to leave the warehouse, everything would be okay.

She heard his phone ring. There was a standstill until finally Gaara pulled away with an angry growl. The man breathed out with relief, thankful for a few more seconds of life. The redhead walked a bit off and looked at his phone, grimacing. He answered it though and looked off. "Baby, now is a really bad time. Can I call you back?" he said sounding sharp.

"I was just wondering if you wanted to have lunch." Sakura said, loud enough to sound normal to him but quiet enough not to be heard in the warehouse. "I got off work early and I want to see you." She was thankful for the fact that her voice sounded normal, but it was probably only from her dire need to sound as if she wasn't witnessing this.

He sighed, pressing the tip of his gun to his temple and repressing a groan. "Sure. I'll pick you up in ten minutes. I gotta go sweetheart. See you in a bit." He hung up then, not giving her a chance to talk again. He had pressing matters he needed to attend to. He turned around and went wide eyed, seeing the Viper hitting buttons on his cell phone. "Kankuro! What the hell?" he yelled at his brother, smacking the phone from his hands. He picked it up and quickly navigated to the texts reading the message that had been sent. "Oh my god." He went stark white and threw the phone to the ground, shattering it. He held the gun back to the man's forehead and glared hatefully at him. "You disgusting bag of filth." He said lowly, pulling the trigger.

What happened next seemed to go in slow motion. Sakura peeked around the crates to see what was going on and went wide eyed, her heart stopping. All she saw was red. Sure she'd seen the insides of a person before, but this, this was just unforgettable. She quickly hid behind the crates again, unable to hold in the whimper as she started to hyperventilate. Her grip on her phone was fierce, and she began to shake from what she had just witnessed, causing the plastic bag holding the food she had brought to crinkle as well.

Gaara looked over towards the moving crates and tried to control his fury. Who the hell had the nerve to come onto his property? He cocked his gun once more and walked over towards the sound. He didn't want to have to deal with this twice in one day. He grabbed onto one of the middle crates and pushed it aside going wide eyed at the sight of pink. "Sakura?"

Her eyes shot to his. "Hi." She said weakly, unable to keep her gaze from trailing to the body lying on the floor in a pool of blood. He couldn't help the frustrated look that came to his face after the shock had worn off. Why was she here? Was she just stupid? If he wasn't at the office what _exactly_ did she think he would be doing that she could just come and pop in? He followed her gaze and sighed, grabbing her by the upper arm and helping her up.

"Kankuro. Deal with that mess." He ordered, dragging Sakura out of view until they were outside. He glared down at her, though she could tell it was lessened from his previous fury. "What are you doing here."

She began to fidget. "I…just thought we could have lunch." She said meekly, feeling like a complete idiot now. "And so I came to surprise you. Surprise." She said, though it was extremely soft.

He groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sakura…I appreciate the gesture, I really do, but what on earth made you think it would be a good idea to come out here. I mean…you know what that's not important right now," he stopped himself, shoving his gun in his back pocket and holding her face with both his hands. "Are you ok? And I mean really ok. Not, 'Oh I'm Sakura and I can handle anything'." He looked into her watering emerald depths and almost felt his heart snap in two.

"B-but I can handle anything." She tried to joke, her tears spilling over the edge of her eyes as her bottom lip trembled. He smiled painfully, pressing his forehead against hers, wiping away her tears with his thumbs.

"I am so sorry Sakura…I never wanted you to see anything like that."

She sniffed. "Maybe I needed to." She said softly. "I guess I just forgot that this isn't like a normal relationship, and I can't just come pop in whenever I want to see you."

He didn't know what to say. He couldn't even imagine what was going on in that pretty little head of hers. "…Why did you call me…?" he asked, seeming confused. Though, she could tell from his tense muscles that something was seriously wrong.

"Because I didn't want you to do it." She said. "At least, not while I was there. For some reason in my panicked state I thought that if I could get you to leave everything would be okay, but I was just kidding myself."

"Let's just not talk about it." He sighed pulling away from her but taking her hand. He wondered if he should tell her. But he could already see how panicked she was right now. The fact that a text had been sent to his rival that he had a loved one, scared him greatly. Not for himself. But he knew these snakes and they would stop at nothing until they got to her. But did that mean he should not tell her? Or maybe leave her. "I don't want to leave you…" he whispered aloud, his eyes widening when he realized that statement was not in his head.

Her own emerald eyes widened. "Why would you leave me? Is it because I came here? I promise I won't do it again, I'll just text you when I get off early or something. And I swear not to tell anyone about today." She said, her breathing starting to pick up slightly in her panic.

"No, no, no!" he shook his head quickly, pulling her closer to him. "No. It's not that. I know you won't say anything, I trust you. But Sakura…when you called me I…spoke to you like I usually do and my idiot of a brother didn't take that Viper's phone and now their boss knows I have someone close to me. And I…I can't lose you." He lowered his head, gripping her arms tightly. "But I don't know what to do. The smart thing would be to leave you but I won't…I…I can't. I love you." He admitted.

She looked up at him, her mind swirling with everything that had happened in the past half hour. Then it focused around one thing. He loved her. Really and truly loved her. She reached out and held his face in her hands, raising it so that he was looking at her. "I'm…not sure yet if I love you or not." She admitted quietly. When she saw the pain flash in his eyes, she stroked his cheeks softly with her thumbs. "But I know that I need you. I can't live without you Gaara. Even if you did decide to leave me, I wouldn't let you." She smiled slightly. "You're stuck with me for good, cause' this relationship isn't through until I say it is, and that won't be happening any time soon."

He actually let out a small laugh. "When did the power in this relationship switch so drastically?" he asked curiously. He was trying to hide the ache he felt from her lack of admittance but she needed him, which made him feel like it was there, she just needed time to accept his darker side.

"Not sure." She smiled, wrapping her arms around his neck and pressing against him slightly. "But like I said, I like to be on top."

"And I told you I didn't mind, since you'd be screaming beneath me at some point." He nuzzled her lovingly. "Now…" he frowned. "Are you sure you are going to be ok?"

She nodded. "Yes. I've seen dead bodies before, which is basically what that is. Yes, they've never been that…fresh, but as long as I think of it from a clinical point of view, I'll be fine." She said.

"Ok." He nodded, pulling her away from the warehouse and walking with her towards her car. "Now…what have we learned today sweetheart?"

"That my man is a badass." She said cheekily. At the look she received she sighed. "And not to surprise you at work."

He smiled proudly, kissing the top of her head. "That's right. But yes…I am a badass. That's how I've survived all these years."

"So, when is our next date?" she asked, leaning against the driver's side of her car.

"Whenever you want it to be." He said, brushing some of her hair from her face.

"Well, you owe me lunch now, so how about tomorrow? I have the day off, so if you're not busy or anything, I could make us something." She suggested.

He leaned closer, glad things hadn't really changed between them. In fact, he actually felt a bit liberated now that she had witnessed his bad side. "I was but nothing I can't move around for you. Tomorrow it is. We can go get some lunch and then go to the beach."

She smiled at him. "That would be nice. And you can actually touch me this time instead of just staring like you did when we went scuba diving." She snickered. "Don't think I didn't notice."

Gaara looked off, huffing to try and hide his embarrassment. "I'm _sorry_ that you're smoking hot." He rolled his eyes, glancing back at her.

Sakura blushed but leaned up on her tippy toes to give him a kiss. "You're not too bad yourself." She said against his lips, kissing him once more. He pressed her against the car, snaking his hand between them and smoothing his hand up her stomach. He gripped her breast, his body on fire from her feel.

"Gaara." She gasped, arching into his hold. "Someone could see." She said weakly, already reacting to his touch.

"Who's going to see?" he asked, moving his lips along her jaw, rubbing her perky tip with his thumb before pinching the sensitive nub. "We're in a secluded area…all by ourselves."

She whimpered and rubbed against him wantonly. "But if you keep it up we won't stop…and I don't want to give myself to you out here." He pulled away then and kissed her lips tenderly.

"Fine, fine. Just…be careful ok? There are some dangerous people out there."

"I will. Don't worry, I always carry mace in my car." She kissed him once more, gripping his face in her hands. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow." He sighed, reaching behind him and pulling out his gun. "Though I would feel better if you had something a bit more protective than mace."

"I don't know how to shoot a gun." She admitted. He placed it in her hand and positioned her finger over the trigger, pointing it at a can that was on the ground a bit off.

"It's easy you just aim and fire." He pulled her finger back and it fired, making a loud noise but it shot and hit the can perfectly. "It'll stop someone a lot more than some mace."

"It's loud." She said, the wince still on her face as she looked up at him. "But if it would make you feel better, I'll use it."

"I don't want you to unless you have to but it would make me feel better." He smiled, kissing her once more. "See you tomorrow." He pulled away then, letting her get in her car.

"Bye." She said before closing her door and starting her engine. She waved at him with a smile before backing out of the space and driving away. She glanced at him in her rearview mirror and let out a sigh. He loved her. She just couldn't get over it. She knew she cared about him a lot, but the thought of love scared her. It meant that she would have to accept all of him, including the part that killed people. She knew that she needed him, and that if they were to ever be apart she would become extremely depressed. Maybe she did love him. Oh well, she would just have to think about it over the next few days. By the time of his party for his work, she would know, she thought with a nod. It wasn't too far away, and by then she would be ready to become his.


	11. Date 44: Party

**Obligation**

_Chapter Eleven_

-Date 44: Party-

Sakura parked in front of Gaara's house and turned off her engine. She got out, straightening her dress as she did so. He had invited her to be his date for a work related party he was hosting, and of course she had accepted.

She was dressed in a floor length emerald gown made of a silky material. It was a V-neck halter dress, and dipped low, exposing some of her cleavage, but still appeared modest. It was tight all the way down to her hips, where it flowed loosely to the floor. Her hair was put up in a classy French twist, with a few random wisps curled into ringlets and hanging around her face. Her jewelry was simple, only a pair of diamond earrings and the necklace Gaara had gotten her. On her feet she wore a pair of silver, strappy heels, though you could barely even see her perfectly pedicured toes since the dress was so long, and she had on just enough makeup to accentuate her eyes, since she didn't require much.

Taking a fortifying breath, since she was nervous, she grabbed her small clutch and locked her car. Walking up to the door, she opened it, looking around his lavish house at all the people that were there. She shut the door behind her and began to look for Gaara. Entering his large living room, she saw him talking to Sasuke. Smiling, she crossed the room and stopped once she was before him. "Well, fancy meeting you here." She joked.

"Hello darling," he smiled down at her, pulling her to him and kissing her cheek. "You look absolutely stunning."

She laughed, "Thanks. Oh hold on, your tie is a bit crooked." She reached up and tightened his black tie, smoothing it out and then straightening his jacket a bit. Sasuke watched the interaction and smirked. He pulled the olives from his martini and ate one. Gaara let his hand rest on the small of her back, keeping her close.

"So when's the wedding Mrs. Sabaku?" the Uchiha teased.

"June." She said, not missing a beat. "But I think we'll elope, so you can't come." She stuck her tongue out at him, causing him to chuckle.

"Touché." He said, setting his empty glass down on a tray and taking another as the waiter passed.

Gaara just laughed, enjoying the company of the only two people he actually liked. "Well Sasuke you were right about those new models for the lesser. They are working wonders for the circulation."

"That's good. I'll let you know if we get anything new in, but at the moment the company is working on something top secret for the government, so it might be a while." He said, taking a sip of his drink.

"Hm." The redhead nodded. "Must be something big, you usually don't keep my out of the loop even with your government contracts."

"Oh it is." Sasuke nodded. "And I'm gonna make a butt load of money off it."

"Money is always nice." Sakura smiled. She looked around at the other people that were there. "So, do you actually know all of these people?"

"Every single one of them." He said wrapping his arm around her waist. He was glad she was here. Ever since that text, he'd been worried about her being out on her own. But knew she'd get mad if he hovered or had her followed. And she was getting better at finding out when she was being followed by one of his men.

"Wow." She said, looking up at him. She smiled then. "Do you actually like them all, or just tolerate them?"

"Of course he doesn't like them. They're all money sharks." Sasuke commented.

"Yup." He nodded, smirking at his friend. "So Sasuke, when are you going to take an interest in a woman? I mean, haven't you been going on about how you need an heir for the company?"

"Yeah, but women are so much work." The Uchiha grimaced. "I would never be able to stand one for long you know, especially during a pregnancy. I'm kind of hoping that Itachi will impregnate one of his whores while he travels and save me all the work." He smirked and pat Gaara on the arm. "Not all of us can find a good one like you my friend." He said.

"Yeah," Gaara looked down at Sakura and kissed her sweetly. "I got really lucky with this beauty."

She smiled happily. "Who'd have thought." She said. She was so happy to be with him. And she couldn't wait until everyone else had left so that she got him all to herself.

"Though…Sasuke, are you sure you'd be happy with Itachi's spawn taking over?" Gaara asked curiously. "I could always find a nice specimen for you. At least pretty and smart and then you can do whatever you want with her."

"True. That bastard doesn't need anything else to hold over my head." Sasuke said contemplatively. "Alright, send me a catalogue or something and I'll just pick which ever woman looks appealing." He nodded.

"God you're so shallow." Sakura rolled her eyes.

Sasuke just shrugged. "I'm a man, and I hate people. Of course I'm shallow."

"Baby he just needs an heir, a preferably male heir. He doesn't care about love." He explained, kissing her neck and nibbling on his neck. "But I'll put one together for you, all the ones I approve of. Cause she's got to be smart and smoking and complimentary colors to you."

"Awesome." Sasuke said, finishing off his drink.

Sakura squirmed a bit in Gaara's hold as he continued to ravish her neck. "Gaara, there's people here." She said, leaning into his touch.

"So?" he smirked, bringing her closer. "You know you like it."

"Gaara!" a shrill voice yelled. The redhead actually growled, pulling away from Sakura and looking up to see a tall blonde walking towards them. She was wearing a strapless black evening gown and her hair was done up in an odd fashion. She stopped in front of him and smiled evilly. "Why hello baby brother."

Sakura looked from the woman to Gaara. "You have a sister?" she asked, just now remembering.

"Yeah…" he sighed, giving his sister an irritated glare. "What are you doing here?"

The blonde smirked deviously and waved him off. "I heard you had a lady…that you were actually keeping around and not sleeping with. So I simply had to come and meet her." She turned her green gaze to the woman on Gaara's arm. "Hi, I'm Temari. Very nice to meet you." She said, holding her hand out towards Sakura.

Sakura took the blonde's hand and shook it. "Sakura. And it's a pleasure to meet you as well. The only relative I knew Gaara had was an idiotic brother named Kankuro." She smiled politely.

"Yes well, I'm more on the eastern coast than the west." She said, pulling her hand back and glancing at Sasuke. "My, my. The big bad Uchiha. It's been awhile." She gave him a suggestive glance.

Sasuke smirked. "Yes, well, just because you aren't here Temari doesn't mean the world halts. We've been pretty busy actually."

She looped her arms with his and rubbed against him in want. "Last time was a blast we should definitely do it again sometime." She purred.

Gaara shivered with disgust. "Only woman you've slept with that I disapprove of."

"What can I say? The thought of doing your sister is just appealing." Sasuke said, reaching around and grabbing her butt, squeezing it. "I think I might leave early." He stated.

The redhead rolled his eyes. "Just don't do it in my house this time. I don't need to deal with that again."

Temari just waved him off, wrapping her arms around Sasuke's midsection. "Don't worry baby brother. I won't get pregnant and mess up you and cutie Sasuke's little plans to have your babies get married." She snickered.

Gaara sighed. "For the last time Temari, Sasuke and I did not plan to have our children get married. Jeez. We both want boys anyways."

"Boys are ideal in taking over our companies anyways." Sasuke said, leaving his hand on Temari's behind. He looked down at her. "So you wanna get out of here? Cause' I'm already bored." He glanced at Gaara. "No offense."

"None taken, my lady is here anyways." He smiled, kissing Sakura once more.

Temari waved goodbye, whispering into Sasuke's ear, making him smirk as they left. Gaara looked back down at Sakura and gave her a tender smile. "You ready to meet people?"

"I hope so," she took a deep breath and went with him. The rest of the night seemed to go by pretty fast, she met far too many people to remember and she felt jealous eyes from all around. Though she could tell by the men, that they just saw her as a beautiful accessory. Finally, the guests started to filter out, only a few who were talking business to one another and some to Gaara since they were mostly clients.

Once they were alone in the large house, Sakura turned to him and wrapped her arms around his neck. "That was fun." She said.

Gaara loosened his tie and smiled down at her. "I'm glad you enjoyed yourself. I have to agree it was pretty alright."

Sakura sighed softly. She wanted to tell him how she felt, but she didn't know how, and he hadn't told her since that day at the warehouse. So, she took a breath and prepared to give herself to him. "Gaara." She began, looking up into his beautiful jade eyes. "I want you to make love to me." She said, a light blush making its way to her cheeks. His eyes widened slightly and he placed his hands on her hips, giving her a serious look.

"Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Yes. You said once that you didn't want to just have sex with me, you wanted to make love. And, as long as your feelings haven't changed, then that's what it will be, because I love you." She said.

He cupped her face with his hands and kissed her, "Of course it hasn't, I love you Sakura. I will make you feel amazing I promise." He pulled away then and kissed her hand. "Why don't you head to the bed room and I'll lock up and turn off all the lights."

"Okay." She said, turning and walking to his bedroom. She left the lights off, only turning on his bedside lamp. Reaching up, she undid her hair, shaking her head to let it fall loosely. Then she took off her jewelry and shoes, setting them out of the way. Once she was done she sat on the edge of his bed, fidgeting with her dress. She wanted him to undress her, as it had been one of her fantasies as of late, and so left her dress on. She began to run her fingers through her hair in an effort to make it look nice. Giving up after a while, she waited for him, her heart hammering in her chest.

Finally, after the agonizing wait, the door opened and Gaara walked in. His jacket was open and his tie was hanging over his shoulders. He shut the door and looked over at her, something about her being in his room and on his bed just seemed _so_ right. He smirked as he walked up to her and took both her hands in his own, kissing each in turn. "You are amazing…you know that?"

"Yes, but it's nice to be reminded." She said softy, smiling up at him. He laced his fingers with hers and pulled her up from her sitting position.

"Are you really ready for this?"

"Yes, I want to be with you in every way." She told him. He let go of her hands and placed his on her hips, kissing her fully as he pressed his body against hers. She looped her arms around his neck and returned his kiss passionately, pressing against him completely. Then she smoothed her hands down his chest and began to unbutton his shirt. He moved his hands behind her, gripping her butt and then slowly unzipped the dress. He reached up then and unclipped the straps from around her neck and pulled away from her so he could take off his shirt.

Without Gaara's body to hold up her dress, it pooled at her feet, revealing her chest and silky black thong. Trying to keep down her embarrassed blush, she stepped out of her dress and shoved it over to the side with her foot. Wanting to lessen her nervousness, he quickly undid his belt and let his pants fall to the ground and slipped out of his shoes. He cupped her face and kissed her once more. "Just relax sweetheart." He told her, helping her back down onto the bed.

"Okay." She nodded, getting onto the bed. Her eyes trailed over his form, and this time her blush wasn't out of embarrassment of herself, it was from how amazing his body was. In her profession she had seen numerous male bodies, but Gaara's was like…the perfect specimen. He moved on top of her, kissing her neck as he moved down her chest more quickly than any other of his advances he tried before. He lowered one of his hands and pulled down her thong, rubbing her thigh soothingly.

Sakura sucked in a sharp breath and let it out in a shaky sigh. "Gaara." She moaned softly, arching against him. He moved back up and kissed her before moving down her body and tossing her underwear aside. He spread her legs and before she could fully realize what he was doing she felt his tongue.

"Oh my God!" she screamed, gripping the sheets and arching her back completely off the bed. Gaara just smirked, she sounded amazing when she screamed. He was going to tease her until she begged for him to stop. He rubbed her thigh, moving closer towards her center before teasing her clit.

Sakura's breathing began to quicken as she felt something akin to liquid fire shoot right through her body and pool at her core. "Gaara." She groaned, moving her hips a little as a sign that she wanted more from him.

"Yes, my dear?" he asked, lifting his head to watch her face as he slid his digit into her tight hole.

Her eyes widened slightly and she bit on her finger to try and hold in the noise she wanted to make. "Oh my." She breathed out instead, moving against his finger.

Gaara just smirked. This was definitely going to be the most memorable night of his life. "Sakura, don't keep those adorable little sounds to yourself. I would like to hear just how wonderful you feel." he said, inserting another finger. She shut her eyes and let out a loud moan, continuing to thrust against him.

He took this time to examine her, finally getting a full view of her beautiful body. She was absolutely gorgeous, a perfect form, smooth creamy skin. He almost couldn't believe he held himself from this for so long. He pumped into her faster, skillfully adding another finger, which earned him a throaty moan. He could feel her squeezing around his digits, her walls already constricting. How good was it going to be when he finally got to be inside her himself? He shivered slightly from the excitement he felt growing. It was going to be magnificent.

Sakura continued to move against him, feeling something building inside of her. She was panting loudly now, gripping the sheets tightly, her eyes shut from the intensity of what she was feeling. "Gaara, something's happening." She said breathlessly, opening her eyes to look down at him.

"You're about to come," he explained, he shifted his body until he was over her and then kissed her, not slowing his pace with his fingers. "Don't try and fight it, just let go." he smiled, trailing his kisses along her jaw.

She moved more frantically against his hand, letting out a loud, pleasured scream as she came for the first time in her life. She arched against him as her body shook with the force of her release. She wrapped her arms around him as she came down from her high and turned her head to kiss him. "Gaara, I want to come with you inside me." She said against his mouth.

He smiled down at her, resting his forehead against hers. "I want something too you know."

She looked up at him, only able to see his shadowed eyes. "What?"

"I want you to move in with me."

"I think that can be arranged." She said with a small smile. "Though it will take me a while to pack up my stuff."

He smirked. "No it won't." he kissed her once more before straightening up and pulling his boxers down, finally exposing himself to her. He positioned himself above her and placed both his hands on either side of her head. "Are you ready?"

"Yes." She said, wrapping her arms around his neck. "Become my only, Gaara."

He gripped the sheets a bit and looked down, moving one of his hands to her hips to steady her. "I know you know this, but it's going to hurt, so tell me if I need to stop." He met her gaze once more before pressing against her. He rubbed his erection against her clit, wanting to torture her just a bit more before he slid in. He wanted to make it quick, breaking through her tight barrier. He bit back a satisfied groan at her gripping walls. It just felt so incredible.

"Ah!" she said in a pained gasp, arching against his body as her eyes shut. Her arms tightened around him and her body tensed from the intrusion of having something inside of her. He was just so big, and she was so small, she couldn't fathom how it was going to be pleasurable. She knew the pain would go away soon, but in that moment, it was a distant thought. He kissed her lovingly, wanting to take her mind off the discomfort she was feeling. He wrapped his arm around her waist, rubbing her back in attempts to sooth her skin as he moved out slowly and then pushed back in, starting at a very slow pace.

"It'll feel good, I promise." He reassured her. She just nodded wordlessly, willing her pain to go away. Not wanting to just lay there, she began to move her hips against his, meeting his slow thrusts. The way she saw it, Gaara didn't have to not feel any pleasure just because she wasn't, and so she would try to give it to him.

After a few minutes of this, her eyes snapped open as something shifted in her, the heat from earlier returning as her pain turned to pleasure. She looked up at Gaara then. "Please go faster." She said, raking her nails down his back.

His back arched a bit from the scratches, driving him further inside her. "I think you've become the most powerful woman in the city." He teased, pulling out again, almost fully, until he thrust back into her faster and faster giving her just what she wanted.

"Why?" she panted, wrapping her legs around his waist and driving him into her further. "Because I have the most powerful man wrapped around my finger?" she asked, the corner of her mouth tilting up in a smirk as she met his hips thrust for thrust.

"Maybe." He mumbled into the crevice of her neck, kissing her soft skin and biting down. He pounded into her faster, needing to feel more of her heat. He wanted her to come and he wanted to fill her up with his own. He moved his lips back to hers, "I love you Sakura." He said against her lips.

"I love you too Gaara." She said, kissing him passionately. She moaned into his mouth when he hit something within her, and she began to grind her hips against him in an effort to feel it again. He placed his hand on her hip once more thrusting into her with as much force as he could, bringing her closer as he went in to delve further into her wet folds.

Sakura began to pant heavily from their actions, moving her hips faster and gripping his shoulders to give herself more leverage. "Ah! Yes!" she cried, throwing her head back as he found that spot in her once more and continually hit it with his tip. Her stomach began to tighten, and she knew that she was close to releasing again. Experimentally, she began to clench her walls around him, only increasing their pleasure.

"God damn, Sakura." Gaara actually groaned out, her antics spurring something inside him to go the extra mile and pound into her harder. No one had ever felt this good when he'd had sex before. He kissed her again, he wanted to be surrounded by all of her. Her body, her lips, and the most intimate way possible.

She wrapped her arms around him, wanting to be as close to him as possible. Without warning, her release hit, and she broke away from his lips in a scream. "Oh GAARA!" she exclaimed, this one hitting her harder than her first. It was amazing, she didn't think it could get any better than it already had, but she had just been proven wrong. He thrust into her a couple more times before pushing as far as he could inside her and filling her with his hot seed. He moaned, resting his forehead on her shoulder, panting as he finished.

As they lay there in the aftereffects of their love making, Sakura began to run her fingers through his hair, perfectly content with his weight on top of her. "That was amazing." She said, her lips twisting into a satisfied, lazy smile. He kissed her once more, enjoying their connection.

"Yes it was. Completely amazing." He said, showering her face in kisses. "I love you and I want to be with you."

She giggled at his antics, kissing his face as well. "Then be with me forever." She said.

"Does that mean you wanna marry me?" he smirked, looking down at her as he nuzzled her lovingly.

"Is this you proposing?" she asked. "Because if so, you were right, you're doing a _much_ better job than that old man did." She smiled.

"No." he said simply, propping himself up on his elbow and reaching above her. He stuck his hand beneath his pillow and pulled out a black velvet box. "This is me proposing." He kissed her once more, opening the box to reveal a gorgeous, flawless diamond on a white gold band.

She gasped, propping herself up on her elbow. "Gaara, I would love to marry you." She said, holing out her left hand for him to put the ring on her finger. She chuckled as he did so. She wondered how many women had been proposed to right after losing their virginities with their man still nestled comfortably inside them. Her guess was not many. "I love you." She said, kissing him once the ring was in place.

"I love you too." He smiled, grabbing her hips and turning over so she was situated on top of him. He moved a bit inside of her, marveling at the still tight feel. "Now…why don't you show me how much you like to be on top."

She smiled, placing her hands on his shoulders before trailing them down his chest as she sat up, giving him a perfect view of her body. "I hope you know what you're asking." She grinned devilishly, rotating her hips. "Because I may grow to like dominating you." She lifted herself off of him with just her legs and then let herself fall back down on top of him, letting out a gasp of delight at the feeling of this new position. "A lot." She finished, placing her hands on his chest for support.

"I think that's something I can easily deal with." He smirked, taking in a sharp breath as she came down on him again. In actuality, this was the very first time he'd ever let a woman be on top. He placed his hands on her hips, guiding her a bit and forcing her down upon himself harder, grunting every time he hit deep inside her.

They continued their activities all throughout the night, with Gaara teaching Sakura of all the many positions they could do. And once they were both too exhausted to continue, they collapsed into each other's arms, instantly falling asleep, and both dreaming of Sakura's move into the mansion.


	12. Theif

**Obligation**

_Chapter Twelve_

-Thief-

Sakura hummed to herself as she rinsed the conditioner out of her hair. She had just gotten off work about an hour ago, and had immediately come home to shower off the smell of the hospital. By home, she obviously meant Gaara's mansion, since she had been completely moved in two days ago, and had been staying with him since the night they first made love.

She smiled at the memory. Ever since then they had performed numerous sexual acts, and she just couldn't get enough of him. He was like a drug. A tall, sexy drug of a man. Satisfied that she was clean, she turned off the shower and stepped out, drying herself off. She knew Gaara wouldn't be home for another few hours, and so she walked into her closet and put on some black yoga pants and a black tank top. Then she walked back out into the bathroom and began to brush her tangled wet locks.

She froze when she heard a strange noise, and her mind whirred with the possibilities of what it could be. Could it be the housekeeper? No, she only came on Tuesdays and Thursdays. And it couldn't be an animal, since Gaara didn't own any pets. But she hadn't been here long, she didn't yet know what sounds were normal or not. Her entire body tense with suspense, she quickly put on some socks and shoes. It had sounded as if someone was trying to get in the house, but that was impossible. Not only did Gaara have an impeccable alarm system, he also had cameras everywhere.

As she snuck into the bedroom, she grabbed the gun Gaara had given her, holding it close to her body with shaky hands. She still wasn't a very good shot, but she had been going to the local shooting range when she had the time, figuring it wouldn't hurt to learn.

Tiptoeing out of the bedroom, she crept through the house, cautiously checking around the corners for an intruder, even going so far as to crawl as inconspicuously as she could on the floor, so as not to be seen. After peeking in every room downstairs, she made her way up the steps and did the same on the second floor. Still not finding anything, but not fully satisfied that things were okay, she went back downstairs and out the back door, checking the backyard.

She walked around the swimming pool, pressing herself against the fence and trying to stay in the shadows of the early evening. She made her way into the garden, holding her gun out in front of her just in case. Hearing a rattle coming from one of the large bushes to her right, she pointed her gun at it, trying to steady the fast beating of her heart. "Whoever you are, come on out, or I'll shoot." She warned, surprised her voice had stayed calm. She screamed suddenly when something jumped out of the large shrubbery, quickly stepping back in alarm.

It was only a small, white rabbit, she began to laugh shakily, lowering her gun and placing a hand over her heart. "Oh God." She sighed in relief. "You know," she looked at the rabbit, which was munching on a leaf of one of the flowers. "For a minute there, I actually thought I needed to be afraid."

"You still do." A dark voice said in her ear. She froze, but before she could turn around, something hard hit her on the back of the head, and her world went black.

* * *

Sakura gasped loudly when she was abruptly awakened with ice cold water. She sputtered, shaking her head to get the water out of her face and then shivered, trying to move but found the task impossible. She twisted a bit in order to see why, and realized that her wrists were tied to the handles of the chair she was sitting it. They were so tight, that the fibers were digging painfully into her wrists. Even her ankles were tied to the legs of the chair. She looked up when she saw a figure from her peripheral vision and went wide eyed. "Wh-who are you?" she demanded, her teeth chattering.

"I've been waiting a _long_ time for you Sakura." He smirked. He was a pretty good looking man, with short brown hair. He was wearing a suit, and there was another man beside him, who looked wild more than anything else. He was holding a bucket and staring down at Sakura's chest, since the cold had affected her body, and she wasn't wearing a bra.

"You've been waiting for me?" she glared, not fully understanding what was going on. "What do you want from me?"

"Oh I don't want anything from _you_." He said with a slow step towards her. He grabbed her cheeks in his hand and forced her emerald gaze into his dark, flat blue. "And not necessarily waiting for you…I've just been waiting. Gaara's had the upper hand for _so_ long. So, _so_ long. Until you came along, I didn't have a chance of winning, but now I do. Do you know how much power that man has…I mean really, the resources he has at his disposal are nearly limitless, and it's about time he stepped down from his pedestal."

"You are no match for Gaara and the fact that you had to resort to kidnapping only proves that you're the weak one, not him." she seethed, glaring defiantly at him.

"No see." He said, stroking her cheek. "We're not honorable. We don't care if it's dirty. If you can get the upper hand. You take it. And finally, I'm going to put a bullet in that brilliant little head of his." He smacked her cheek hard, taking a hold of her face once more and forcing his lips on hers. "Ah." He pulled back, looking blissful. "No wonder he let you in. You're so tempting."

"Don't touch me." She ordered, jerking her face from his grasp, her cheek still stinging from his hit.

He just laughed, "Don't worry pretty little flower. You'll be seeing your _fiancé_," he touched the diamond on her left hand with his index finger, admiring the ring. "Very soon."

* * *

Gaara walked into his house, unbuttoning his jacket and rolling his neck a bit as he tried to relax. "Sakura! I'm home." He called, fiddling with his watch as he took is off. He looked around the foyer and listened for anything. It was eerily silent and that was not something he was accustomed to anymore. He set his watch down as well as his jacket and rolled up his sleeves. He walked over to a decorative end table and opened the drawer, reaching in and pulling out a gun.

He cocked it quickly and headed into the house. Normally, Sakura was home by now, and she should be since she didn't have the night shift for a while. But then where was she? Usually there was the sound of a television or her talking on the phone. But this, "Sakura…" he called again, holding up his gun and inspecting his entire mansion. Every room seemed to set him on edge, but the lights were on, which meant Sakura had to have been there. She was a freak about turning lights off when they left the house for any set amount of time.

After he finished his combing, he went into his own bedroom. It seemed in order, just like everything else. And he hadn't seen her outside. He walked back out into the main hall and hit one of the panels, revealing a camouflaged door. He went in and shut it, looking around the surveillance room. There were monitors along the wall that were hooked up to two different computers. There was a screen for every camera around his house.

Gaara scanned the screens trying to find anything abnormal around his house. He stopped on the one that was in his backyard and squinted as he leaned forward. He messed with a few knobs and zoomed in seeing something on the ground. He left the room quickly, and headed out back, flipping on the porch and patio lights as he walked around the massive pool.

His blood turned thick in his veins as he kneeled down and picked up the gun he'd given Sakura. There was a tattered piece of paper beneath it. He picked it up, only holding the tip, intent on lifting fingerprints from it later.

_Gaara,_

_You should have kept a better eye on your prize. _

_-The Viper_

He lifted his hand to his mouth, pressing the back of it so he wouldn't yell. If he did, he knew his rage would get the better of him and he wouldn't be able to think rationally. He took in a deep breath and then slowly exhaled. He stood from his kneeling position and walked back into the house, visibly shaking from his inner turmoil. This was the last straw. He was going to find the rest of these snakes and kill them. Because no one threatened Sakura. _No one_.


	13. Retribution

**Obligation**

_Chapter Thirteen_

-Retribution-

Gaara sat in his office and stared at a map he had posted on his wall. He had been trying to find Sakura for a little over twenty four hours. That was a life time in this line of work and the odds weren't looking so good. Especially, because he hadn't received a ransom demand yet. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his desk and lacing his fingers together. His knuckles slowly turning white from the strain he was putting on them.

He had all his best men out there, searching the city for her. But there wasn't even a trace. He cursed under his breath and rested his forehead in his hands. Could he have been any stupider? He knew the moment he realized he loved her he should have pushed her away. It was the only way he could have protected her. But he wanted her…no, he needed her. She was so smart and so beautiful, and so…bright. That smile, that gorgeous smile that seemed to lighten up any mood he was in. Her happiness. Her, she was his happiness. The first he had ever found.

"I'm so sorry Sakura." He whispered, sounding pained. He glanced up when the door opened and glared at his secretary who looked grim. "Have you found her?" he asked.

"Um…well no sir, but-"

"I said not to come in here unless she was found!" he yelled, standing up from his seat and slamming his hands on his desk.

She shrank back, looking terrified and he could only imagine how psychotic he looked. "I know Mr. Sabaku…but there's a call on line tw-"

His fury shot through the roof. "I don't give a damn about line two! Tell them to fucking go to hell and don't bother me again!"

She held her ground and shook her head. "No sir, just answer the phone. You'll want to talk to him."

His glare intensified, but he reached for his phone and hit the button to take the line. "What." He seethed.

'_Hello Gaara. Losing our cool now that the pretty little flower is uprooted?_'

The redhead went wide eyed and pressed the phone closer to his ear. "Where. Is. She." He demanded, doing his best not sound panicked. If they knew he was scared, it would be all over.

'_She's safe right here with me. No need to worry. Here, why don't you talk to her._'

'_Gaara?'_ Sakura's voice could be heard through the phone a second later.

Relief washed over him and he almost relaxed. He held the phone closer and a determined look came across his face. "Are you ok sweetheart? Just relax. I am going to find you and I will save you. I promise."

'_I know. I'm fine.'_ She said, and it almost sounded like she was smiling. _'Hurry though, cause' I don't want to miss my next shift at the hospital.'_

He laughed dryly, shaking his head. Her attempt did nothing to ease his worry. She didn't understand how severe the situation was. He heard the phone shift and grimaced when he heard that deep voice once more. '_Now Gaara. I will kill her. She's pretty but I don't like crossing swords with my enemies. Though I might give her pretty little trap a mouthful of my dick._'

"If you _touch _her I will rip your beating heart out of your body and shove it right back down your throat!" Gaara shouted, his vision blurring from rage. Just the thought of this slime bag touching Sakura in anyway made him sick to his stomach.

'_Oh I'm sure you will. So I'm going to tell you where to find the address of where we are. In your warehouse, you know, the one your pretty little wife saw you kill my man in. There will be a piece of paper with our location. If you don't come alone, I will kill her and leave you to find her mutilated body._'

Before Gaara could say anything the line went dead. Gaara slowly lowered the phone and stared at it as if it were the most atrocious thing in the universe. He grabbed the phone and ripped it from the cord, throwing it at the wall, yelling at the top of his lungs. He jerked open his drawer and pulled out his gun, shoving a round of ammunition in and cocking it. "I'm going to fucking kill him." He frothed, grabbing his cell phone and headed for the door.

His secretary stared at him, wide eyed and stark white. "Do you want me to call Mr. Inuzuka? Or Mr. Hyuuga?"

"No. I'll keep in touch though." He said before walking out. He rode the elevator down, feeling the space begin to close in around him. He couldn't get out fast enough and once he was in his car he sped off towards his property, not caring about the speed limit. It didn't take too long to reach the warehouse but it was now nearing sunset and he did not want to be in the dark when he came across the leader of the Vipers. Finally, he pulled up to the place and got out, leaving the car on. He ran in and looked around, heading for the spot he had killed the man. There was still a stain on the floor from the mess he had made and on top of the stain was an index card. He picked it up and looked around, wondering how they would know if he came alone or not. He read the address and headed back to his car, entering into his GPS and then taking off.

It took almost twenty minutes to reach the private estate. He drove up to the front and got out, slowing his advance when he saw a large, bulky man in a black suit walk up. "Good of you to come, Mr. Sabaku. Please surrender your firearms now." He said, holding out his hand.

Gaara looked down to the large hand and then back up, a scowl set in on his face. Reluctantly, he placed his gun in the man's hand and waited. The larger of the two cleared his throat and held out his other hand. The redhead rolled his eyes and reached behind him, pulling another from his belt and setting it in his other hand. The Viper took both in one hand and cleared his, gesturing for him to hand over another. Gaara had to repress a profanity and reached into his pants and pulled out his last gun.

"That's all. I swear."

"I know." The man smirked. "You always carry three. It's a known fact in the underworld."

Gaara just glared at him and then followed after him into the house. He was led to the basement and went wide eyed when he saw Sakura tied to a chair, a suave looking man standing behind her with a gun to the back of her head. "So nice of you to join us, Sabaku no Gaara." He smirked.

The man walked over and stood to the side, watching the whole interaction. "Give her back. Now."

Sakura had to hold in a relieved sigh at the sight of her lover. The truth was, she was scared to death, and considered herself lucky that she hadn't been severely beaten or violated thus far. She was no fool, and knew what these men were capable of and what they would do to her should she step out of line. She locked gazes with Gaara, and tried to convey her love for him through her eyes, having already been told that if she spoke up bad things would happen.

The cocking of a gun tore Gaara's gaze from Sakura and he looked up at the man. "My name is Kane. And my family has been second hand to yours for generations. But I'm not happy with second rate crime. It's finally time the Vipers were number one."

Gaara scoffed, trying to appear arrogant, but he was doing his best to figure a way out of this. "Even _if _you got rid of me, there are three other people you'd have to find and kill. Plus my two main guys I've named successors."

Kane just smirked. "Oh I know. Which is why, I've already killed your brother. I've put a hit out on your sister and we're looking for your older brother now. And Inuzuka Kiba and Hyuuga Neji are no longer under the radar. I'm just counting down."

Gaara had to control his reaction. "You put…a hit out on my sister?"

"Oh yeah. So no matter what, she's going to die. And unless you want to add your pretty little wife to the list, you will come quietly." But Gaara didn't move, or take his glare from Kane. He sighed. "If you don't, I'm going to kill her in front of you. It's either you or her. So pick. I swear, I'll let you watch her leave before I kill you."

Gaara looked down at Sakura, grief actually showing on his tough façade. "…Fine…"

Kane smirked. "James. Take her out of here, we don't need her anymore. She can go." The larger man moved over and took out a pocket knife, cutting the ropes. He grabbed onto her arm and dragged her up, pulling her with him as they headed back for the stairs. Gaara just stared at the floor, unable to look at her.

"I love you Sakura. And I am so sorry." He said, closing his eyes tightly. Kane walked forward and pressed the barrel to Gaara's forehead.

"I've waited for this my whole career…and I've finally won."

"No! Gaara, I love you!" she yelled, struggling as she was dragged around the corner and towards the stairs at the end of the hall. "GAARA!"

When Sakura could no longer see him, she felt something inside her snap. They were going to kill the last person she had left, and the only man she had ever loved. And she would be damned if she'd be left alone in this world once more. She had meant it when she'd said she needed him, because if he no longer existed, then she had no reason to either, and suicide just sounded so petty.

Quickly, she rounded on the larger man named James and jumped on him, wrapping her legs around his waist. He stumbled backwards a bit and looked at her in surprise, probably thinking that she was coming onto him, since he had been eying her body since her capture. She cupped his face, but before he could say anything she twisted his neck with enough force to snap it. He began to fall backwards, hitting the wall and sliding down it, allowing Sakura to land on her feet because of her position on him. Sakura bent over and took his gun from his holster, making sure that it was loaded.

She stepped over the large mass on the floor and made her way back down the hallway as quietly as she could, making sure that the safety of the gun wasn't on. She hadn't heard a gunshot yet, but she knew that she didn't have much time before her love was killed, and so she made her way down the long hall hurriedly.

"Just do it already." Gaara said, opening his eyes and staring lifelessly at Kane.

Kane sighed, but he still looked pleased. "See Gaara this is why you don't fall in love. Women have _always _been the downfall of men. It seems the great leader of the underworld is finally going to bit the dust." He moved around him, pressing the gun to the back of his head. "Goodbye Gaara." He said, pulling the trigger.

Slowly, Gaara looked around when he realized he wasn't dead yet, and at first he thought that Kane was just trying to screw with him. That is, until he heard someone else speak. Someone he thought he'd never hear again. "_Nobody_ threatens my fiancé and gets away with it." He turned and saw Sakura standing on the other side of the room, holding a gun, and looking more pissed off then he ever thought a woman could be.

She walked up to Gaara, but her gaze was on the body of Kane, which was on the floor and sporting a bullet hole right in the center of his head, a clean shot. "Fucker." She glared, stepping out of the way of the blood pooling around the body. Then she looked up at Gaara and her gaze instantly softened. "Are you okay baby?" she asked, although there was still a spark of something crazy in her voice and eyes.

Gaara just stared at her, slightly wide eyed. He looked down again and then back up. It was hard to process what was happening, since he hadn't seen it for himself. "Did you…?"

"Yes." She said, her eyes hardening.

He pulled her to him slowly, wrapping his arms tightly around her and resting his head on her shoulder. "This is all my fault…"

She wrapped her arms around his waist, the gun still in her hand. "Not it isn't, I should have been more careful when I heard that weird noise at the house." She said, nuzzling his neck, just glad that he was alive and still with her. Now that she was in his arms, she felt okay again, the violent part of her that she didn't know having fully receded into her mind once more.

He pulled her closer and shook his head, not really knowing what to say. He released her then and looked down at the lifeless body. "I have to call that hit off my sister." He told her, fishing through Kane's pocket for his phone. When he found it he scrolled through the texts and found the group. "Ok, hold on a second." He stood and hit the call button, waiting as the ringer sounded.

"Zen." He paused and then smirked. "No. This is Gaara." Sakura just watched him, his expression showing that he was getting the reaction he wanted. "Kane is dead. Yeah. Mhm. Please spread the word." He hung up the phone and then dropped it to the ground, stomping on it until it was completely shattered. He glanced back at Sakura and held his hand out to her. "Alright. Everything's going to be ok now."

She took his hand, the gun falling from her limp grasp and clattering to the floor. The reality of what she had done hit her finally, and she buried her head in his chest. "I don't ever want to kill someone ever again." She muttered, gripping his shirt tightly with her free hand.

He buried his face in her hair and tried to comfort her with his embrace. "You won't ever have to. I promise. I am so sorry. I will never put you through something like this ever again…and you have assured that. No one will ever mess with us again…"

"Good." She pulled away slightly and cupped his face with her hands. "I thought I was going to lose you." She whispered, tears gathering in the corners of her eyes. She stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "That's why I did it. I wasn't going to let them take you away from me."

He placed his hands over hers, "I know. And because of that. We can now go home. Together."

She smiled at him. "That sounds really good. I think I'm going to take the day off work and spend it with you, making up for lost time." She kissed him lightly. He returned the kiss in turn, finally relaxing now that he had her back safe and sound. They broke and he took her hand, leading her away from the gruesome scene.

"When did you learn how to shoot?" he asked, glancing back at her as they passed the man from before. Gaara found his guns and replaced them on his person, not wanting any evidence of his presence here.

"Well, ever since you gave me that gun, I would go by the shooting range after work sometimes and practice, since I wanted to be good at it just in case." She explained. "I'm glad I did too, otherwise this would have gone a lot worse."

They stopped at the doorway and he held her face with one hand, "Thank you…you literally saved my life."

She covered his hand with hers, holding it in place against her cheek. "Not any more than you did mine." She turned her head and kissed his palm then, rubbing her cheek against it. "I love you Gaara, more than life itself."

"I love you too Sakura. And I will until the day I die." He kissed her then, "Now let's go home." He smirked.

She smiled at him, lacing her fingers with his as they both left that horrible place together. And as they drove off into the night towards their home, it was with the knowledge that they were now free to live the rest of their lives together, their future looking to be venom free.

**The End!**

**A/n: Thanks for reading! And don't forget to review. Keep your eyes out for the sequel to Obligation.**

**Accountability**


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